Recent studies on the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 provide a mixed picture, offering both reassuring and disturbing insights into the virus’s long-term health impacts..
According to a study conducted by Washington University and the VA St. Louis Health Care System, patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized within the first 30 days of infection have a 29% higher probability of dying in the third year than those who never had the virus. This is alarming information. Three years after the infection, even those with moderate COVID-19 were shown to be developing new health issues associated with the virus, according to a study published in Nature Medicine.
“COVID-19 is a constant reminder that even a brief, moderate, or harmless viral encounter might harm one’s health. after several years,” states Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist and senior author.
Still, the study produced some encouraging results. One year after infection, the higher risk of death among those who were not hospitalized—the majority of COVID-19 cases—decreases significantly. Patients not hospitalized in the third year after the infection had a 5% higher chance of experiencing long-term COVID-19 consequences, mostly affecting the neurological, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal systems. This amounts to 41 more health problems per 1,000 individuals, a minor but significant burden.
The increased health risk for hospitalized COVID-19 patients decreased with time, from 182% one year after infection to 34% in the third year. This indicates a positive trend. Researchers calculated the number of healthy life years that Covid-19 had taken away. Three years after infection, there were 10 lost years for every 1,000 individuals among non-hospitalized cases. Over the same period, hospitalized patients lost an astounding ninety years of healthy life for every 1,000 persons.
Al-Aly noted that the burden is “astronomically higher” for serious cases. “It is distressing to learn that a little infection might cause new health issues three years later.,” he stated. He al-Aly acknowledged the virus’s shortcomings, like not taking into account later mutations, but emphasized the long-term effects of the infection. “You may have forgotten about COVID-19 even after three years have passed, but COVID hasn’t forgotten about you.,” the man replied.
To address the virus’s long-lasting and extensive health effects, the study emphasizes the necessity of ongoing monitoring and assistance for long-term COVID-19 patients, even years after their first infection.