LETTERS: Long Covid is a range of symptoms that persist for weeks or months beyond initial recovery from Covid-19. Long Covid can happen to any ex-Covid-19 patients, even those who have mild illness.
Based on our study from July to September last year, approximately 88 per cent of Covid-19 patients who recovered had experienced post-Covid symptoms up to six weeks from diagnosis.
About 48 per cent felt the symptoms for more than six weeks; 21.1 per cent more than three months (Long Covid); and 10 per cent more than six months.
The 10 commonly reported post-Covid symptoms were tiredness (72.1 per cent), brain fog (50.9 per cent), joint/muscle pain (45.5 per cent), anxiety (45.4 per cent), insomnia (45.1 per cent), depression (41.2 per cent), persistent cough (39.6 per cent), feeling sick (39.5 per cent), loss of smell/taste (37.1 per cent), weight loss (34.3 per cent), headache (33.5 per cent), difficulty breathing (33.3 per cent), dizziness on standing (32.9 per cent) and palpitations (31.7 per cent).
These results were collected from patients during the Delta wave, who were most likely to be unvaccinated before infection.
Currently, the dominant virus is the Omicron variant, and more than 80 per cent of our total population have been vaccinated with two doses, and 68 per cent of adults have received their booster.
According to the United Kingdom Office for National Statistics, among the double vaccinated individuals, Long Covid symptoms were 49.7 per cent lower in infections with the Omicron variant than those with the Delta variant.
However, there was no statistical evidence on a difference in risk between infection with the Delta and Omicron variants among triple-vaccinated adults.
Another small study in Japan also reported that the prevalence of post-Omicron Covid-19 conditions was less than that of the other strains.
Therefore, our research team from the Centre of Epidemiology and Evidence Based Practice, Department of Social & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine in Universiti Malaya would like to conduct another round of survey on post-Covid symptoms.
It is to determine if individuals who were infected with Covid-19 (with or without symptoms during infection) had experienced any post-Covid symptoms after recovery and the duration of these symptoms.
The survey is available in both English and Bahasa Malaysia. Your participation will contribute to the understanding of Long Covid or post-Covid conditions among ex-Covid patients from the current Omicron wave.
The findings will be useful in the planning of human resources to provide necessary healthcare and support, as well as intervention programmes that support individuals who suffer Long Covid.
The link to the survey is: https://redcap.link/3cvjqbf3
PROFESSOR DR MOY FOONG MING
Department of Social & Preventive Medicine,
Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times