Is ‘long COVID’ overhyped? Experts say it’s time to stop using the term

By Isobel Williams via SWNS

The term "long COVID" should be dropped because symptoms a year on are no different from any other virus such as flu, medics claim.

Experts believe the volume of people getting COVID-19 meant a surge in virus fatigue symptoms that would normally go unnoticed.

Scientists argue that it is time to stop using terms like ‘long COVID’ as it causes unnecessary fear in patients.

Dr. John Gerrard, Queensland’s Chief Health Officer said: “We believe it is time to stop using terms like ‘long COVID’.

"They wrongly imply there is something unique and exceptional about longer term symptoms associated with this virus.

“This terminology can cause unnecessary fear, and in some cases, hypervigilance to longer symptoms that can impede recovery.”

The researchers from Queensland Health believe that long COVID’s impact on the health system is likely to stem from the sheer number of people infected with coronavirus within a short period of time, rather than the severity of symptoms.

They note that rates of long COVID in Australia are low due to high vaccination rates upon easing of COVID restrictions and the population's subsequent exposure to the Omicron variant.

Symptoms reported with the illness include fatigue, brain fog, cough, shortness of breath, change to smell and taste, dizziness, and rapid or irregular heartbeat.

To understand more about the impact of long COVID, researchers surveyed 5,112 symptomatic individuals aged 18 years and older.

Participants included those with PCR-confirmed infection for COVID-19 and those who were PCR-negative for COVID-19 between 29 May and 25 June 2022.

A year after their PCR test, in May and June 2023, participants were asked about ongoing symptoms and the degree of functional impairment using a questionnaire delivered by SMS link.

Overall, 16 percent of all respondents reported ongoing symptoms a year later, and 3.6 percent reported moderate-to-severe functional impairment in their activities of daily life.

The team found no evidence that COVID-19-positive adults were more likely to have moderate-to-severe functional limitations a year after their diagnosis than symptomatic adults who were negative for COVID-19 or adults who had flu.

Dr. Gerrard said: “In health systems with highly vaccinated populations, long COVID may have appeared to be a distinct and severe illness because of high volumes of COVID-19 cases during the pandemic.

“However, we found that the rates of ongoing symptoms and functional impairment are indistinguishable from other post-viral illnesses.

“These findings underscore the importance of comparing post-COVID-19 outcomes with those following other respiratory infections, and of further research into post-viral syndromes.”

Interestingly, the analysis also found that those who were more likely to report moderate-to-severe functional impairment were those aged 50 years or older, and those who had symptoms of dizziness, muscle pain, shortness of breath, post-exertional malaise, and fatigue.

The full study is to be presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona, Spain on the 27-30 April.