65 Million People Worldwide Experience Lingering Covid-19 Symptoms
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020, and since then many developments have taken place in the world of science. Vaccines, treatments, and medications have been introduced, making the illness less fearful among the general public. While the majority of people make a full recovery, some continue to grapple with prolonged symptoms, known as persistent covid.
In a new article published in the journal Nature Microbiology, researchers estimate that at least 65 million individuals worldwide are still suffering from persistent symptoms of the virus. Yale University immunologist Akiku Iwasaki thinks that the number is still too low.
The research team was able to identify four main causes behind the wide variety of persistent covid symptoms. These are chronic inflammation, triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, autoimmunity, reactivation of latent viruses, and permanent damage in acute cases of COVID-19.
Experts agree that vaccinating against covid is one way to reduce the risk of developing persistent covid symptoms. Vaccinated individuals face a 25-30 percent lower risk of contracting the lingering illness.
The research also concludes that persistent covid does not have a psychiatric cause, thereby refuting any claims stating the contrary.
Further research is needed to determine how the illness should be defined and what treatments may be available for those living with protracted covid symptoms.