As Allegan County marks the two-year anniversary of the first confirmed case of the Covid-19 virus, the Health Department is suggesting residents turn their attention to symptoms of “Long Covid.”
The Health Department, in a press release today, noted:
“We recognize each and every one of you have been impacted by this pandemic in a different way, from losing loved ones, experiencing long term effects from getting COVID-19, the feelings of loneliness, isolation, and anxiousness as the situation changed constantly, interruptions to your daily routines, financial impacts, and navigating this pandemic with the best interests of you and your loved ones. It has not been an easy task on anyone.
“A lot has happened in two years. In Allegan County, 343 individuals’ lives were lost related to this virus. There are many experiencing Long COVID— a difficult illness to diagnose and study as its impact on the body is broad and is different for every individual.
“This year, we reflect on the lives we lost and the lives that continue to be impacted by this virus. We want to thank our volunteers, first responders, health care workers, community members, and our partners for all the work you’ve put in the past two years. There is a sense of hope as Allegan County is in a post-surge recovery phase and a low COVID-19 community level, that we can take this opportunity to do the things that bring us joy.”
Researchers are looking closely at patients with Long COVID and are finding traces of the virus traces in all types of different tissues, including the esophagus, thyroid and spleen. Researchers also are looking at the toll COVID-19 takes on the body.
Prevalence and incidence estimates for long COVID have vastly ranged from 2% to 75%. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation uses an estimate of 30% on their long COVID dashboard, which equates to 23.44 million Americans currently experiencing long COVID. This illness is difficult to diagnose and study, but information on this burden will be important to understand as Long COVID will be a contributing factor on long-term public health outcomes for years to come. For more information, view “Long COVID Miniseries” by Your Local Epidemiologist.
Symptoms seem to depend on the time since infection and can also fluctuate. Two in five people with long COVID don’t have symptoms within the first 90 days. In other words, in a large proportion of people, symptoms popped up randomly three months after infection. In one U.S. study, the most common symptoms in the first 90 days were different from the most common symptoms in the 90-180 days after infection.
Three studies have compared the presence and symptoms of long COVID to post-viral influenza. All three found that long COVID is more common and more severe than post-viral influenza. In one U.S. study, post-viral symptoms were 65% higher after SARS-CoV-2 than the flu.
