At least 17 million people in Europe and surrounding countries suffered from lung covid in 2020 and 2021 – they had long-term complaints for up to three months after a corona infection. That calculated the University of Washington for the World Health Organization (WHO). In doing so, the university based itself on a list of symptoms that the WHO in October 2021 lined up.
WHO Regional Director Europe, Hans Kluge, says there is still much to learn about lung covid, about “how it presents in vaccinated versus unvaccinated populations and how it affects reinfections”. The figures released Tuesday, he said, highlight an “urgent need for more analysis, investment, support and solidarity with those experiencing this condition.” For the WHO, the European region comprises 53 countries, including Russia and some Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
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The research shows that in the first two years of the pandemic, just under 145 million people around the world suffered from one of the three main clusters of symptoms of lung covid: fatigue with body aches and mood swings, cognitive problems and shortness of breath. Most people recover completely after a corona infection, but it is estimated that 10 to 20 percent of people develop long-term complaints after corona.
Christopher Murray, director of the institute that conducted the research for the WHO, emphasizes the importance of understanding the condition and its prevalence. “Millions of people continue to be in pain because of the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on their health.” Government agencies should develop support services for lung covid patients, Murray said, and employers should set up facilities for people with lung covid.
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