Health experts in Australia are calling for the term “long COVID” to be abandoned, as new research suggests that symptoms are not significantly different from other viral illnesses like the flu. Government-backed medical researchers in Australia conducted a study of 5,112 symptom sufferers and found that the term “long COVID” is fear-inducing and misleading, leading to unnecessary anxiety and hyper-vigilance.
The study revealed that 16% of respondents reported ongoing symptoms a year after testing positive for COVID-19, with 3.6% experiencing moderate-to-severe functional impairment in their daily lives. However, there was no evidence to suggest that those who tested positive for COVID-19 were more likely to experience long-term symptoms than those who tested negative or those who had the flu.
Researchers also pointed out that Australia’s low rates of diagnosed “long COVID” may be due to the country’s strict COVID-19 restrictions during the pandemic. The findings of the study will be presented at the 2024 European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona next month.
This new research challenges the current understanding of “long COVID” and raises questions about how the condition is diagnosed and treated. Health experts are urging for a reevaluation of the term and for more research to be conducted to better understand the long-term effects of COVID-19. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
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