Question: Long Covid: What is it and who does this affect?
We don’t yet know for sure.
As of now, it’s difficult to pin down primarily because doctors have only just started recording long Covid as an official diagnosis and many studies are underway. What is important to note is the US government acknowledges long Covid as a disability and other countries are examining their data.
Roughly half of the people with long Covid reported an improvement in their symptoms after vaccination. What is certain is prevention. Vaccination prevents people from contracting the virus and developing long Covid.
Verified News stories
Long COVID: with one in three patients back in hospital after three months, where are the treatments?
Here's why this is important...
The pace of acute therapy and vaccine development for COVID have been dizzying. But even as we hope a route to bringing the pandemic under control is within sight, we’re now facing the possibility of another urgent public health emergency thanks to what’s known as long COVID, a group of symptoms that last long after the initial infection.
Who's involved
Dr Mark Toshner Lecturer in Translational Respiratory Medicine
Here’s What We Know About Kids and Long Covid
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Children who contract covid-19 can have symptoms that persist for weeks or even months, but it’s not clear how frequently this occurs or which kids are at risk. Vaccination is changing the demographics of the pandemic. As more adults get vaccinated, kids and young adults represent a growing proportion of cases.
Who's involved
Alok Patel, MD Clinical Instructor, Pediatrics
Sean O’Leary, MD Vice Chair Of The Committee On Infectious Diseases For The American Academy Of Pediatrics
Alicia Johnston, MD Assistant in Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases Instructor of Pediatrics
The Four Most Urgent Questions About Long Covid
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Scientists are starting to get insights into the lingering disorder that affects some people infected with SARS-CoV-2. There is increasing clarity on the overall prevalence of long COVID, thanks to a series of surveys — but it is less certain who is most at risk, and why it affects only some.
Who's involved
Athena Akrami, PhD Group Leader
Ani Nalbandian, MD Fellow
Sammie Mcfarland Founder, Long Covid Kids
Steven G. Deeks, MD Professor of Medicine
Anthony L Komaroff, MD Senior Physician
Lucinda Bateman, MD Founder and Medical Director
Nisreen A Alwan MBE, MBChB, MRCP, FFPH, FHEA, PGCAP, MPH, MSc, PhD Associate Professor in Public Health
Dr Charlotte Summers Intensive Care Medicine
Akiko Iwasaki, PhD Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Immunobiology and Molecular
Study Probes Vaccines’ Effects On People With ‘Long Covid’
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A team of Yale School of Medicine researchers is launching a study to determine the effect of vaccination on people with persistent symptoms months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, which has been termed “Long COVID.”
The idea for the study came from Survivor Corps, a grassroots COVID patient group. In a poll they posted to their patient community about the effects of vaccination on Long COVID, they found that about 40% of people reported mild to full resolution of their symptoms after they were vaccinated.
Who's involved
Akiko Iwasaki Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Immunobiology and Molecular
Diana Berrent Founder, Survivor Corps
Wade Schulz, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Laboratory Medicine and computational health care researcher
Aaron Ring, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Immunobiology
Charles Dela Cruz, MD, PhD Associate Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine) and of Microbial Pathogenesis
Erica Spatz, MD, MHS Associate Professor of Cardiology and Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Harlan Krumholz, MD, SM Harold H. Hines, Jr. Professor of Medicine and director of the Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation
Verified podcast
Long Covid in Children
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What exactly is long Covid in children?
How do you diagnose a new disease that could have 200 symptoms? We explore long Covid in children with our reporter Carolyn Atkinson and Professor Sir Terence Stephenson from the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health.
Who's involved
James Gallagher BBC Health and Science correspondent
Carolyn Atkinson BBC Reporter
Sir Terence Stephenson Nuffield Professor of Child Health
Coronapod: counting the cost of long COVID
Here's why this is important...
This episode of Coronapod discusses one way that public health experts are trying to get to grips with the problem using metrics such as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs).
As new data suggests that COVID could leave millions with lasting disability or ill-health, we ask how changing the lens through which we assess the impacts of COVID could change public health policies, the perception of risk and even the behaviour of individuals.
Who's involved
Noah Baker Chief Multimedia Editor, Coronapod
Sara Abdulla Chief Opinion Editor
Verified Videos
Good News: Americans with “Long Covid” Symptoms May Qualify for Federal Disability
Here's why this is important...
Some people with long COVID may qualify as disabled and need accommodations, the Biden administration released guidance clarifying how the condition can be categorized as a disability under federal law. Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice and Department of Labor all have released resources regarding disability and long COVID. Guidance from the Department of Education on accommodating students in schools was also expected.
Who's involved
Gayle King co-host of CBS This Morning
Anna Werner Consumer Investigative National Correspondent
