Over 40pct of Long Covid patients recover after four weeks - KJ
PARLIAMENT | The Health Ministry is monitoring and treating more than 12,000 hospitalised Covid-19 survivors for Long Covid symptoms, including at a special rehabilitation programme in Sungai Buloh Hospital.
According to its minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, a total of 12,654 Covid-19 patients were given appointments for follow-up treatment to monitor and treat such symptoms.
At Sungai Buloh Hospital, a comprehensive rehabilitation programme has been set up as a...
PARLIAMENT | The Health Ministry is monitoring and treating more than 12,000 hospitalised Covid-19 survivors for Long Covid symptoms, including at a special rehabilitation programme in Sungai Buloh Hospital.
According to its minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, a total of 12,654 Covid-19 patients were given appointments for follow-up treatment to monitor and treat such symptoms.
At Sungai Buloh Hospital, a comprehensive rehabilitation programme has been set up as a one-stop centre for Long Covid patients, encompassing the hospital’s Medical Department, Psychiatric and Mental Health Department, and Rehabilitation Medicine Department.
The hospital is also collaborating with Universiti Teknologi Mara Hospital’s respiratory unit in this effort.
“From November 2020 to July 31, as many as 2,388 Category 4 and 5 patients discharged from Sungai Buloh Hospital have been referred to this special service, encompassing follow-up treatment through teleconsultation and physical follow-up treatment.
“Of these, 1,545 (64.6 percent) had experienced Long Covid. In terms of outcome, 41.2 percent of Long Covid patients recover from their symptoms four weeks after being discharged from hospital,” the minister said in a parliamentary written reply today.
He was responding to Lim Kit Siang’s (Harapan-Iskandar Puteri) question asking for details about Long Covid cases in the country.
Khairy explained there are two stages of Long Covid.
The first is ‘ongoing symptomatic Covid-19’ where patients still experience the signs and symptoms of Covid-19 during the period of four to 12 weeks after their infection.
The second is ‘post Covid-19 syndrome’ where the signs and symptoms last more than 12 weeks and could not be explained by an alternative diagnosis.
Based on follow-up monitoring of the 12,654 hospitalised cases after discharge, the most common symptoms are fatigue (79.2 percent), breathing difficulties when performing certain activities (52.6 percent), coughs (17.2 percent), insomnia (14.6 percent) and anxiety (10.6 percent).
“The Health Ministry will continue to monitor and provide treatment for Long Covid patients who have indications, based on the post-Covid-19 management protocol,” he added.
Previously, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said about two-thirds of survivors of severe Covid-19 cases were found to have long-term complications.
However, even mild and asymptomatic cases are known to lead to long-term symptoms later on, after the infection itself had already subsided.
A peer-reviewed study in the UK found that Covid-19 vaccines could halve the odds of developing Long Covid symptoms following an infection, in addition to preventing some infections entirely.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.