Even a mild case of Omicron could lead to long Covid, an expert said on Monday, June 27.
Health reform advocate and former special adviser of the National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 Dr. Anthony “Tony” Leachon said that the public should still be vigilant against the mild form of Covid-19 as it could lead to a condition called long Covid.
Long Covid or post Covid-19 conditions are a wide range of either new or returning health problems that individuals experience after being infected with the virus that causes Covid-19.
“It would present with the clinical manifestation of a mild respiratory tract infection that may be controlled at home, but if you have a mild Omicron case, this would actually also affect the quality of life of our patient and they cannot still report to work. This can also lead to long Covid that will affect the productivity of our economic frontliners,” said Leachon in an interview with CNN Philippines.
“Based on literature it’s about 30 percent of cases. It might linger for four to six months even after the Covid-19 infection,” he added.
The expert then explained that this condition can cause chronic fatigue syndrome, shortness of breath, mental health problems like anxiety and depression or brain fog. It can also cause chest pains, palpitations, and other systemic medical problems.
Leachon underscored that this is one of the reasons why the viral transmission of Covid-19 needs to be controlled.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention said that to date, there is no test to diagnose post Covid-19 conditions, making it difficult for healthcare providers to recognize long Covid.