Long-term symptoms of COVID-19 “really worrying,” says WHO chief |

“While we are still learning about the virus, it is clear that this is not just a virus that kills people. This virus has a number of serious long-term effects for a significant number of people, “said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday during the UN agency’s last virtual press conference in Geneva.

The situation also underscores that herd immunity is “morally unfeasible and unfeasible,” he added.

Wide range of fluctuating symptoms

The WHO Director General described the wide range of COVID-19 symptoms, which have fluctuated over time, as “really worrying”.

They range from fatigue, coughing, and shortness of breath to inflammation and injury to major organs – including the lungs and heart – to neurological and psychological effects.

Symptoms often overlap and can affect any system in the body.

“It is imperative that governments recognize the long-term effects of COVID-19 and ensure access to health services for all of these patients,” he said.

“This includes basic medical care and, if necessary, special care and rehabilitation.”

Seven months “evaporated”

Three patients – an epidemiologist, a nurse, and a 26-year-old software engineer – shared their experiences with COVID-19 and its long-term consequences.

Professor Paul Garner, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in England, was “fit and healthy” when he contracted the disease in March.

He battled cyclical attacks of fatigue, headaches, mood swings, and other symptoms for four months, followed by three months of total exhaustion.

“If I overdid things, the disease would come back, it would come back. And it was completely unpredictable, ”he said, speaking via video link.

Professor Garner reported that his health had only improved in the past two weeks.

“I never thought that this virus would wipe out seven months of my life,” he said. “It’s just gone, evaporated.”

Against herd immunity

Stories like these underscore how people facing the long-term effects of COVID-19 must be given the time and care they need to fully recover, the WHO chief said.

“It also confirms to me how morally incomprehensible and impractical the so-called ‘natural herd immunity’ strategy is,” he said, adding that “it would not only result in millions more unnecessary deaths, but also a significant number of people who face a long road to full recovery. ”

He stated that herd immunity is only possible if a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine has been distributed fairly and worldwide.

“And until we have a vaccine, governments and people must do everything they can to keep it out. This is the best way to prevent these long-term consequences after COVID, ”he explained.