Patients with “long COVID” are no longer infectious, Dr. Rontgene Solante, head of Adult Infectious Diseases in San Lazaro Hospital, said on Monday.
Solante said patients with “long COVID” often suffer symptoms such as shortness of breath even after being declared recovered and being discharged from the hospital. Other patients also experience the slowing down of memory.
“Ito yung mga critical, severe, including moderate na pag dating sa bahay meron pa rin silang nararamdaman (These are critical, severe, including moderate patients who still experience symptoms even after they were allowed to return home from the hospitals),” Solante told DZMM Teleradyo on Monday.
Solante said it is still being studied whether persons with long COVID are just experiencing “remnants” of their previous symptoms.
The expert said it’s also possible that the patient's recovery period is just longer than usual.
“Meron pa tayong tinatawag na recovery period, eto talaga nakikita natin matagal ang recovery period nila, although yung virus na nasa katawan nila ay hindi na aktibo, hindi na nakakahawa (We have what we call the recovery period. In this case, we can see that their recovery period is really long, although the virus in their body is no longer active, no longer infectious),” the expert said.
“Andun yung epekto ng infection nila nung active pa, nung malala pa yung sintomas nila. Hanggang ngayon nararamdaman pa nila, pero kumonti na (The effect of their infection when it was still active is still there, just lesser),” he added.
Solante said patients with “long COVID” no longer have to go through another swab test, but were urged to follow up with their doctor so they can receive proper advice on what steps to take.
“Kung meron silang nararamdaman na di sila komportable, kailangang bumalik sa doktor para ma assure at saka masuri yung iba pang komplikasyon na makikita natin after the recovery period (If they still experience symptoms, and they don't feel comfortable, they need to go and see their doctor so they can be assured and also for them to be checked if there are other complications after the recovery period),” he said.
Britain’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), in its recent study, said that persons with “long COVID” experience a “rollercoaster of symptoms” that “covers every part of the body and brain.”
The study also suggested that persons experiencing “long COVID” could have four different syndromes namely “post-intensive care syndrome, post-viral fatigue syndrome, long-term covid syndrome, and permanent organ damage to the lungs and heart.”