Experts warn that the number of long covid patients in New Zealand will be “increasing.” 1 news

As long as the number of Covid-19 infections continues to grow worldwide, the number of people suffering from the long-term effects of the virus will continue to grow in New Zealand, the World Health Organization and local experts warn.

WHO calls the surge in recovered cases experiencing long-term health problems a “very important” global “disease burden” and is addressing it urgently.

Currently, it is not a health crisis for New Zealand to be immune, despite the absence of community transmission of the virus.

In New Zealand, the number of cases of Covid-19 was low at the time of the first outbreak last year, but positive cases are steadily flowing among returnees arriving in New Zealand every week.

Since January 1, this year, 325 cases have been tested positive for Covid-19, 42 of which were past cases.

Alongside returnees who previously had Covid-19, these historic events may have experienced the long-term effects of the virus.

“We have cross-border cases every day, which is a mixture of officially infected people, but of course there are many people who have been infected in the past and have been infected in the United States. UK.” Dr. Michael Maze, an infectious and respiratory physician in Christ Church, said.

“They are no longer infectious and will no longer appear in our number of cases, but they may still have protracted health concerns and are very likely to be able to seek their help in New Zealand. I’m legally looking forward to it. “

The protracted effects of this virus, often referred to as “long covid,” are severe, and people experience lung and heart damage to less severe protracted symptoms such as malaise and muscle aches.

These are symptoms that Maze is familiar with and have spoken to about 100 people who are suffering from Covid-19 in Canterbury and are still recovering from the virus.

“For some people, it is shortness of breath, chest pain, which can be associated with permanent damage to the heart and lungs.

“But for many, it’s often just deep fatigue and always exhausted.

“And to others, it can be a sensation of fog in the brain, they feel like they aren’t thinking straight, and there are various other symptoms.”

The maze says that New Zealand does not have enough data to know how common long covids are in recovered cases because no data has been collected.

“There is no solid data on the overall percentage, but it’s definitely here, and definitely many people are still aware of the symptoms.

“Internationally, there are reports that up to 10% or 30% of people are still experiencing symptoms months after infection, suggesting that it is really common. I will. “

The maze says he wouldn’t be “surprised” if New Zealand had a similar number among its Covid survivors as seen abroad.

He also hopes that the number of cases will increase.

“As the number of people infected worldwide increases, so does the number of people with persistent or long-distance symptoms. And, of course, kiwis infected abroad are the same as others. It can infect long-distance Covids.

“And, of course, when they come home, they need to have a health system that can take care of them and deal with them.”

Long Covid becomes a “very important” health burden for the world

Globally, researchers are working at a pace to find out why the majority of Covid-19 cases classified as recovered are still suffering.

“We are burdened with a whole new illness around the world,” WHO Dr. Margaret Harris told 1NEWS.

Harris says the long-term effects of Covid-19 will put a great deal of stress on healthcare systems around the world.

“It will be a huge burden. Looking at the number of cases we have around the world, these are in many countries where the healthcare system has just been destroyed by acute covids.

“But that doesn’t mean that those who get over it should be left to wrestle with what is left behind.”

How serious this is a health problem is to see how billions of dollars are spent researching viruses in the UK and the US and why it causes long-term health problems. I can.

The United States has announced that it will spend $ 1.5 billion on research, while the United Kingdom has invested nearly $ 35 million.

According to a recent policy brief published by WHO, one in five of the 71 million cases recovered experiences a “persistent illness” after a negative virus test.

This number is increasing rapidly.

Although the study is in its infancy, it is possible that “a significant number of people will continue to have symptoms for at least a few years,” outlines WHO’s policy.

A major concern that has emerged from Long Covid’s early studies is the multisystem pathology of the disease, which complicates the treatment of people suffering from the sequelae of the virus.

Early studies also showed that whether someone had a severe infection with the virus or had no symptoms during the initial infection did not determine whether there was a long-term effect of the virus. I will.

According to Harris, WHO saw an urgent need to act swiftly to prevent a potential health crisis from a long covid very early in the pandemic.

“It’s not unexpected-it shouldn’t be something you should do like” How did it happen? ” “

Harris says that the first assumption that the virus was just an “old man” illness was to warn the world when the pandemic first occurred.

“We, as WHO, don’t take that position. He said he didn’t know what the virus would do, and even asymptomatic people wouldn’t know if other processes were going on.

“And unfortunately, it’s now seen in a significant proportion of people. They have what we consider to be an inflammatory process … but the inflammatory response continues and there is a problem there. “

Harris says Longcovid is a “very” real-life and health issue that needs to be recognized here in New Zealand.

“Encourage people with symptoms to come forward, make medical and health professionals aware of it, and develop a referral system for the right people.”

Is New Zealand acting too late at Long Covid?

Last June, Health Director Ashley Bloomfield said there was not enough evidence that New Zealanders were suffering from long-term effects due to the low number of cases in New Zealand at the time of the outbreak.

“I haven’t read any reports of ongoing symptoms here in New Zealand,” he said.

When asked if Bloomfield stood beside his comment at a press conference last week, he said there was “new evidence” of the long-term effects of Covid-19, but he has Covid-19. He reiterated that the number of New Zealanders was very small.

However, Dr. Anna Brooks, an immunologist at the University of Auckland, considered thousands of returnees who had or brought Covid when the Department of Health was talking about a small number of cases in New Zealand. Say no. 19 Return to New Zealand.

Covid-19 cases are expected to continue to arrive in the country due to a worldwide pandemic, new variants that threaten the effectiveness of current vaccines, and delayed vaccine deployment.

Brooks says this steady stream of imported cases is increasing the number of people returning with long-term consequences.

“We are losing everyone who comes back to the country,” she says.

“We don’t have information about how many returnees had Covid. No one asks or documents. How many people in this country are suffering from long covids. I don’t know at all. “

Brooks says the Ministry of Health is aware of Longcovid, but is responding too late to new public health issues.

“We were late. The ministry is aware of this, so it’s not that we aren’t acting.

“Yes, there is a health burden, how big is it? No one knows because no one is asking a question.”

Brooks states that the information provided to the Ministry of Health website, the Unite Against Covid-19 website, and the Long Covid GP is lacking.

“I think the main problem is that you need to understand what it looks like, so no one knows how to help, right?

“In the long run, I think we need the support of the ministry and the nationwide rollout of medical recommendations.

“The key question is how to access health care when our group of long-haul carriers, or even those who have Covid, are getting bigger and there is no evidence of having Covid. So this is also a big problem nationwide. “

The maze says the Ministry of Health or each DHB does not know what action they are offering to people suffering from long covids in the area, but because of long covids the public health system has more people in the system I agree that I need to be prepared to appear.

“In New Zealand, the number of Covids is almost small compared to many parts of the world, so it’s probably not in our heads,” says Maze.

“But over time, I think more and more people have been diagnosed with Covid in New Zealand and are returning from abroad. It will become increasingly clear that we need to make sure we have the system. Being in place, you can establish that connection early and get ready with your forefoot.

“Not only to see the current problem, but also to see future problems and make sure they are set up to tackle the problem head-on rather than reacting and waiting for it to occur. There are problems and many needy people. “

Brooks says that many people with long covids in New Zealand feel helpless when seeking help from a GP who often hasn’t heard of the condition.

Dr. Brian Betty, Medical Director of Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, said some information about Longcovid was provided to the GP by the Ministry of Health.

“But it’s very unclear which approach is longer-term,” he says.

“The situation is evolving because it really emerges as a matter of many unknowns. Given the small number of New Zealand, GPs don’t see it often.”

However, neither Brooks nor Maze have stated that this is the case, and the GP predicts that more patients will have long-term effects from the virus.

“Sure, some of the discussions I had with those who have Long Covid felt that way. They say they’ve been in, and they’re about it. I didn’t necessarily have a practitioner who knew a lot or heard about it from time to time, and there are also a huge number of people who move their heads in every part of medicine. “

The Ministry of Health has continued to investigate Long Covid and said it has begun “verifying evidence revealed regarding rehabilitation after Covid-19.”

“Our advice for those who are experiencing Longcovid symptoms is to work closely with general practitioners on health care programs that address the various ongoing symptoms that people are experiencing.

“The ministry will continue to share more information with the health sector while learning more from this study.”

Longcovid research has not yet begun in New Zealand, but the Ministry of Health published a request for proposal at the end of last year.

They say a formal process is currently underway.