Many people struggle with Covid-19 long after they test negative for having the virus in their systems. This has been brought home by a research letter published this week in the Journal of Infection, on a study showing that patients who emerge from hospital experience symptoms for a staggering 111 days after returning home.
And that lengthy period of feeling ill far outweighs the 11 days most who participated in the study spent in hospital, with no difference in the experience between those who were in intensive care and patients treated in a ward.
Aside from fatigue, shortness of breath, memory loss, lack of concentration and sleep disorders, there have been other problems, including hair loss – particularly among women.
That research was conducted at the University of Paris–affiliated Beaujon Hospital. Meanwhile, research underway in South Africa is also revealing the long, spiky tail of Covid-19. Professor Cheryl Cohen of the University of the Witwatersrand is exploring the insidious spread of the disease among people who don’t show any signs of infection.
SA’s recovery rate is at 85%, or 520,000 people, according to government Covid-19 statistics. That in turn means there are 100,000 people or so who are struggling with a disease that keeps showing new, nasty features. For more on Covid-19, listen to the daily BizNews Inside Covid-19 podcast.
PS: This evening we have a special treat, with a change to 6pm for this Thursday’s webinar to fit in with our special guest, SA’s former world surfing champion Shaun Tomson. He lives in California where he is a successful businessman. A star attraction at the 2009 Discovery Leadership Summit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N44h1Hm6J50), he will be sharing his thoughts on the post-pandemic world, which he frames as “The Code for the Next Wave”: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1324111475714234383.
