Doctors have challenged the term ’long Covid,’ claiming it does not exist and causes unnecessary fear in patients.
Chief Health Officer of Queensland, Australia, Dr. John Gerrard, says the term ’long Covid’ implies a false uniqueness of COVID-19 and that other viruses, like the flu, can result in similar post-viral syndrome.
“We believe it is time to stop using terms like ’long Covid,’” said Gerrard. “They wrongly imply there is something unique and exceptional about longer term symptoms associated with this virus,” he continued. “This terminology can cause unnecessary fear, and in some cases, hypervigilance to longer symptoms that can impede recovery.”
Gerard’s comments follow a study that found no evidence to suggest that those who had COVID-19 were any more likely to have moderate-to-severe functional limitations a year after their diagnosis than those who contracted other viral infections.
“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 cases during the pandemic. However, we found that the rates of ongoing symptoms and functional impairment are indistinguishable from other post-viral illnesses,” Gerard said
“These findings underscore the importance of comparing post-Covid outcomes with those following other respiratory infections, and of further research into post-viral syndromes,” he continued.
