Covid-19: Did the WHO act in haste?

On May 5 the World Health Organisation WHO declared that Covid19 no longer constitutes a global public health emergency However health experts have expressed concerns about the urgency to make such an announcement especially at a time when Covid cases are still on the rise in certain countries including India They have also expressed concerns over long Covid ailments which continue to impact those affected even two years later as also reported in a Swedish study published in Lancet in its May and February editionsCovid has not gone awayDr Wiqar Shaikh professor of medicine Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals says he is taken aback by the decision of the WHO ldquoCovid has not yet gone and the recent surge of cases in China and in India provides ample evidence In the past 7 days the WHO has reported more than 4 lakh cases worldwiderdquo Dr Shaikh saidHe quoted an article from journal Lancet of February 23 which talked about a study on 165 patients of Covid19 at the University of Linkoping Sweden Patients were studied for continuing symptoms or repeated symptoms over a 2year period Approximately 2137 of patients were readmitted to hospital for various causes Cognitive symptoms disorders of the sensory system muscle disorders and fatigue were the most common symptoms persisting after 2 years In fact he said more than 200 symptoms have been identified in long Covid impacting multiple organs of the body Interestingly the study did not find any difference in symptoms between patients who had recovered after being treated in ICUs and recovered non ICU patientsAlso Read WHO downgrades Covid19 says no longer an emergencyDr Shaikh also quoted a similar study published in the journal Nature Reviews on January 13 2023 which concluded that at least 1037 of Covid patients suffer from ldquolong Covidrdquo The study estimated that 65 million individuals worldwide suffer from long Covid and these numbers are rising Dr Shaikh recalled an article in midday dated October 4 2021 in which he had quoted a study from the University of Oxford which had studied 273 lakh patients and concluded that 3737 of Covid sufferers suffer from long Covid Dr Shaikh concluded that in the light of all these findings it was premature for WHO to make the declarationlsquoLarge variety of symptomsrsquoldquoThe concept of lsquopostCovid19 diseasersquo was labelled by WHO expert committees A large variety of symptoms as many as 65 were reported including mental fatigue affective emotional symptoms cognitive deficits breathlessness palpitations etc There are conflicting reports regarding risk factors for persistent symptoms of postCovid infection with some studies indicating that those with Covid severity and the female gender are at higher riskrdquo said Dr Subhash Hira professor of global health at University of WashingtonSeattle and member of health committees of G20 ldquoThe cause of postCovid is attributed to the virus hiding in body sanctuaries such as the inner eye spine testes etc and it is frequently released and causes inflammatory reactions in multiple organs The virus debris deposits also cause brain fog India has the daunting task of handling millions with postCovidrdquo he addedLatest studyDr Hira said ldquoA Swedish study published in the Lancet in May 2023 showed follow up findings among 745 patients with a positive PCR for SARSCoV2 recruited between March and May 2020 in Region Oumlstergoumltland Four months after acute Covid19 and vaccines against it over 4037 experienced persisting symptoms indicating postCovid19 condition The majority of patients ie 8437 reported persisting problems affecting everyday life for up to 24 months Cognitive sensorimotor and fatigue symptoms were the most common persisting symptoms at 24 months No clear difference was evident between individuals treated in the intensive care unit ICU and nonICUtreated individuals Approximately half of these were on sick leave even at 24 months Patients required longterm followup and therapeutic rehabilitationrdquoGeneric termsldquoThe other terms for long Covid are PostAcute Sequelae of SARSCoV2 infection PASC and PostCovid19 Conditions PCC Itrsquos a generic term for a wide range of health consequences that can be present four or more weeks after infection with SARSCoV2 the virus causing Covid19 The prevalence may vary from 5372537 in patients The symptoms include breathlessness on effort fatigue myalgia pain in muscles insomnia mood changes cognitive decline brain fog cough chest discomfort arthralgia pain in joints erectile dysfunction menstrual irregularities etc Citizens must consult their physician if they experience any of these symptomsrdquo said Dr Ketan Vagholkar professor of surgery at DY Patil Medical CollegeSymptoms of long Covidgtgt Photophobia irritation to light difficulty readingblurred or double vision difficulty watching fast moving objects headachegtgt Weakness in armslegs difficulty walking driving car performing personal chores like bath dressing altered body sensationsgtgt Difficulty rememberingfinding wordconcentratingmultitaskingexpressing thoughts when speakingmental slowness increased sleepgtgt Feeling anxious or depressedgtgt Difficulty swallowing gtgt Muffled sentences difficulty understanding speechgtgt Sleeplessness irritability phobias nightmares Courtesy Dr Subhash Hira