New study from Zurich on Long Covid: Many patients still suffer from Long Covid

Now a new study from Zurich sheds some light on the darkness. According to this report, more than one in six unvaccinated people are still complaining of health problems caused by Covid two years after an infection.

The latest results of the long-term study have been published in the British Medical Journal. Milo Puhan, director of the Institute for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention at the University of Zurich, is responsible for this. “It’s the first time we can quantify the magnitude of a post-viral syndrome,” Puhan told SRF.

Just slow recovery

More than 1,000 people living in the canton of Zurich were interviewed. They had contracted the original variant of the coronavirus and were not vaccinated at that time. 628 adults who had not become infected served as a control group.

First the good news: 55 percent of the participants said they were back to normal in less than four weeks after the infection. The bad: People with symptoms were very slow to recover. Six months after the infection, 23 percent indicate that they have not yet fully recovered.

After one year, 18.5 percent and after two years 18 percent had not yet fully recovered. The disorders were sometimes serious: the patients suffered from concentration problems, shortness of breath or permanent exhaustion.

The study therefore shows that if a patient’s health condition does not improve within twelve months, the chance of recovery later is small.

Researchers asked questions, but did not investigate

The participants provided information about several possible long-term symptoms six, twelve, 18 and 24 months after infection. Factors such as age, gender, education, employment and pre-existing health conditions were also taken into account.

The researchers point out that the study is a so-called observational study. She relates her results to self-reports, some of which can be unreliable. They are now proposing clinical trials to find effective countermeasures and reduce the burden of the disease. (she)