Time: 2024-07-21
In recent years , the condition known as Long COVID-19 has become a widespread disability affecting the health and quality of life of millions of people across the globe . The intense scientific effort sparked by long COVID has resulted in more than 24,000 scientific publications , making it the most researched health condition in any four years of recorded human history . Long COVID is a term that describes the constellation of long - term health effects caused by infection with the SARS - CoV-2 virus . These range from persistent respiratory symptoms , such as shortness of breath , to debilitating fatigue or brain fog that limits people 's ability to work , and conditions such as heart failure and diabetes , which are known to last a lifetime.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on July 17 , 2024 , shows that the risk of long COVID has declined over the course of the pandemic . In 2020 , about 10.4 % of adults who got COVID-19 developed long COVID . By early 2022 , that rate declined to 7.7 % among unvaccinated adults and 3.5 % of vaccinated adults . Unvaccinated people were more than twice as likely to develop long COVID . The decline in risk of developing long COVID was attributed to two key drivers : the availability of vaccines and changes in the characteristics of the virus.
Despite the decline in risk , even a 3.5 % risk is substantial , translating into millions of new long COVID cases . Estimates suggest that at least 65 million people globally have had long COVID . Long COVID can present with a variety of symptoms across multiple body systems and can affect people of all ages and health statuses . Importantly , more than 90 % of people with long COVID had mild COVID-19 infections.
A study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that the risk of long COVID has decreased over time , most likely due to the impact of vaccination . The highest risk of developing long COVID was seen among patients infected with the original strain of the virus , with a cumulative incidence of 10.4 % . However , among vaccinated patients , the incidence of long COVID symptoms was significantly lower . Decomposition analyses found that the decrease in long COVID incidence was attributable to both variant strain - related effects and COVID-19 vaccines , with vaccination playing the biggest role in reducing the risk.
In conclusion , while the risk of long COVID has decreased due to vaccination efforts and changes in the virus , it still poses a significant public health threat . Vaccination remains a crucial tool in preventing long COVID and reducing the overall burden of the pandemic on society . Ongoing research and efforts to understand and combat long COVID are essential in addressing the long - term effects of the pandemic.
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