site.btaAround 20% of People Report Post-COVID Symptoms after Recovery

Around 20 per cent of people who have recovered from an acute COVID-19 infection report new or recurring symptoms weeks or months afterward, the Health Ministry here reported on Monday.

A SARS-CoV-2 infection could have long-term health effects, even if the infection was non-symptomatic or with mild symptoms. People who have had a severe infection, those with chronic diseases and the elderly are at particularly high risk. A wide range of symptoms that continue for weeks and even moths after the initial infection are defined as post-COVID or long COVID. These also include new symptoms that can not be explained by an alternative diagnosis.

The most-common post-COVID symptoms are difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, cough, chest and abdominal pain, muscle and joint pain, headache, diarrhea, sleep problems, dizziness, loss of taste or smell, anxiety, depression or other symptoms that impact people's daily lives.

Over 50 per cent of people who have reported post-COVID symptoms are in the 74-plus age group, followed by those in the 65-74 age group. Children also suffer from long COVID and according to internationally reported data, up to a quarter could have such symptoms.

Studies show that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are better protected from suffering an acute infection or long-term health effects, compared to unvaccinated people. A study conducted in Britain shows that vaccinated people are 47 per cent less likely to have long COVID and 73 per cent less likely to end up in a hospital.

More information about the long-term COVID-19 health effects can be found on https://plusmen.bg - part of the Health Ministry's vaccination awareness campaign.