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THE NUMBER OF patients reporting symptoms of Covid-19 weeks after becoming ill could be as high as 20%, an immunologist said, as he warned it could place an additional burden on the NHS.
Professor Danny Altmann, from Imperial College London, said a figure of one in 20 people suffering long Covid, reported in October by King’s College London, is lower than what is now being reported.
“Many people would have 10-20% as their range if you look at the papers on how many people are still reporting significant symptoms several months afterwards,” he told Times Radio.
Prof Altmann is calling for long Covid clinics to be opened in the UK, and recently made the case at a World Health Organisation meeting for mechanisms to be in place for people to be referred to relevant specialists.
He said: “The point I was trying to make was really a call to arms for some really good solid research and mechanisms here, because there’s no point just having the banner above the clinic if we haven’t got the doctors to sit in them.”
Symptoms of long Covid include ongoing fatigue, loss of taste or smell, respiratory and cardiovascular problems and mental health issues.
Prof Altmann warned that there is “no absolute correlation” between severe illness and long Covid, adding: “There’s plenty of people out there who barely know they had it and never had a PCR test or antibody test who are suffering massively still from long Covid.
“It really worries me, the kind of burden I’ve been suggesting is equivalent to our NHS burden of arthritis, which is one of the biggest causes on our NHS time and expenditure.
“It’s a real thing to worry and think about for the future, for patients and healthcare planning.”
However, he expressed optimism as figures showed there were 25,621 patients in hospital in the UK with Covid-19 as of 9 February, down from a peak of more than 39,000 in mid-January.
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Another article that shows the damaging effects of covid, most people will ignore but another article will come along soon enough to say open everything, our tyrannical government, most strict lockdown in all of Europe. But this article doesn’t suit their narrative
@Ally Mc Culladgh: Okay I understand the damaging effects of covid, but what about the damaging effects of Lockdown? If you scroll back 4 hrs on the Jornal you’ll see the article on the EU’s disease control agency saying covid-19 isn’t going anywhere. Its with us to stay. So do you suggest college students never go to class a again? Business never open their doors again? It is tyrannical of the government to keep us locked down and take away most freedoms without exploring all options such as a 0- covid Island. Its been 11 months not 2 weeks.
@David Lee: as someone on month 4 of long covid, I can assure you that you’re “struggles” are nowhere near that of someone with the illness. Can you pick up your kids without your heart beating out of your chest? Do you have to plan 2 days in bed after a food shopping trip?
Didn’t think so. Educate yourself on the actual effects, not just the 1% of very sad cases where it takes a life.
@David Lee: Hi David, that’s the point of the vaccines to reduce the serious side effects of covid19 and people ending up in hospital.
@Chris Rea: Ignorant response, If you actually take the time to read my comment you might see I never mentioned my own personal struggles? I also acknowledged the damage covid does, How do you know I have already had covid? Your comment is a nonsense assumption about me completely unrelated to the questions I asked about moving forward in the future. Lockdown is not a long term solution yet it is being used as one is all I am saying after reading the article on the EUs head of disease control saying that we should prepare for it to be with us long term.
@David Lee: Covid probably is here to stay in some shape or form, but no-one in authority has suggested college students will never go to class again or business never opens up again. That’s just exaggerated tripe you’ve thrown in here for dramatic effect.
@David Lee: i read your comment. While you dont mention your own struggles, yoy speak like someone that has a better solution to rhe issue than all world leaders! So please share, what is the solution? Because you clearly dont think waiting until vaccination had reached a level where immunity levels are at a level where we can suppress the virus?
Dont call someone ignorant for the simple reason they dont listen to your nonsense, unhelpful criticisms with no actual solutions.
@Tommy Roche: Well maybe thats because nobody in authority can guarantee the virus wont continue to mutate and render vaccines useless. precisely my point that there is no guarnatee
@David Lee: Nah, it’s not ‘tyrannical’. We haven’t experienced ‘lockdown’ but rather degrees of public health restrictions which adapted with the numbers and threat risks. As for Zero-covid it has been explored and deemed unworkable, which is mainly due to our geographic location,
proximity to Britain and mainland Europe, plus the two jurisdictions on the island. As others have said, nobody is suggesting the things you seem to think they are.
@Chris Rea: Your response was ignorant it was all assumption based about me and your new reply is no different, assuming how I speak? and why? because I asked for a better long term solution such as a try for zero covid while vaccinating? and had an opinion? you also assume I don’t think that waiting for vaccines gives us immunity levels. “unhelpful criticisms with no actual solutions” again? did you read my comment where I mentioned 0 covid?
@John Kieran: If they can stop me travelling 3 miles from my own home and tell me I cant leave the country for leisure they can stop the virus coming in at borders. They dismissed the Idea even though several leading disease exports at Irish universities and colleges lobbied for it
@David Lee: Nothing would please me more but stopping internal movement is very different to that between our unique jurisdictions on one island with dependancy on the UK, notwithstanding the EU mainland. I doubt that they dismissed it but rather consider it unviable.
@David Lee: 100 % agree. It seems as long as the bogus figures are kept low its all that matters
@Ally Mc Culladgh: I’ve never once seen an article on the Journal that says ‘open everything and that we have a tyrannical government’. Not sure where you’re reading your news.
@Chris Rea: so what. That is ur problem not mine. As someone who’s income is decimated by 90 % I can assure u that ur struggles are nothing compared to mine tyring to make ends meet
Get well soon
@Jim Smith: The comments Jim, the comments.
Symptoms include mental health issues. Seriously??
What about the symptoms of lockdown? I’m willing to guess that well over 20% of people are currently experiencing mental health issues, whether they’ve had Covid or not. Also, lack of exercise, poor diet, increased alcohol consumption are only a few of the health issues we know about that are as a result of lockdown.
I feel for anyone suffering due to Covid but the lockdown needs to end now. This is hurting more people than it’s protecting.
When the dust settles on this mess we will see the true damage lockdown has done. Right now, Covid is the only thing people seem to care about.
ah brilliant news for once
@Seán South: listen to headspace on netflix instead. Better than this
The wife will be getting a length of long covid tonight
@Maalouf: Her symptoms will be so mild she probably won’t even realise she had it.
@Tommy Roche: 12 weeks until the second dose
@Tommy Roche: hahaha! Nice
I’m surprised there isn’t more research on those of us who had covid. We seem to only hear of the negative after effects. I, like thousands of others in Ireland, luckily have had no after effects. That’s not to belittle how serious it is, its just incredible given the relentless focus on covid, that no one has asked us (200,000 Irish at this stage) how we are!
But it could be zero aswell
have your say