29 Mar 2022

Warnings about Long Covid

From Nine To Noon, 9:05 am on 29 March 2022
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Photo: Vinay Ranchhod

As more New Zealanders recover from Covid, we're exploring what is known about the health effects of Long Covid.

As a nation our quick and stringent initial COVID-19 pandemic response has been praised, but two years on, focus is now turning to the long-term health effects and ongoing recovery.

A WHO policy brief has suggested around 25 percent of people who have had the virus, will continue to have symptoms for at least a month, and  three months on,  around one in 10 people are still feeling unwell. 

So just how much is understood about this pandemic, the after effects of Long Covid and how to best manage it. Anna Brooks, is an immunologist and Senior lecturer at the University of Auckland, and she is part of a team of international researchers investigating the debilitating post viral condition.

Dr Brooks says even asymptomatic people can get Long Covid. Kathryn will also talk to Dr Bronwyn Lennox Thompson about the implications for returning to exercise.

She is a lecturer in Pain & Pain Management and Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch