The term “Long Covid” should not be used as symptoms are indistinguishable from those suffered after a year after infection other viruses including influenze, new Australian research shows.
The study is due to be presented by Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona in April.
Dr Gerrard said on Friday: “We believe it is time to stop using terms like ‘Long Covid’.
“They wrongly imply there is something unique and exceptional about longer term symptoms associated with this virus. This terminology can cause unnecessary fear, and in some cases, hypervigilance to longer symptoms that can impede recovery.”
“Our evidence suggests that there isn’t, that it is not dissimilar to other viruses. That does not mean that you can’t get these persistent symptoms following Covid-19, but you’re no more likely to get it after Covid than with other respiratory viruses.”
The study of 5,112 symptomatic adults included some 2,399 with PCR-confirmed infection for Covid, 2,713 who were PCR negative for Covid (995 influenza positive and 1,718 PCR negative for both but symptomatic with a respiratory illness).
The researchers found that one year after the testing, 16.3% of all respondents had ongoing symptoms, and 3.6% had moderate to severe functional impairment.
But when controlling for age, sex and Indigeneity, the study found no evidence that Covid suffers were more adversely affected.
Only 3% of those who tested positive to Covid a year earlier showed moderate to severe functional impairment, compared to 4.1% of symptomatic adults who were negative, and 3.4% who had influenza.
“In health systems with highly vaccinated populations, long Covid may have appeared to be a distinct and severe illness because of high volumes of Covid-19 cases during the pandemic,” Dr Gerrard said.
“However, we found that the rates of ongoing symptoms and functional impairment are indistinguishable from other post-viral illnesses.
“These findings underscore the importance of comparing post-Covid-19 outcomes with those following other respiratory infections and of further research into post-viral syndromes.”
The study builds on previous research published in the British Medical Journal last year that found no difference between Covid and influenza symptoms three months after infection.
‘Long Covid’ was used by the corporate press, the political establishment and the pharmaceutical industry, along with other factors, to justify Covid restrictions and vaccine mandates, even when it became clear that the vaccines did not prevent infection or transmission.
Dr Gerrard himself was responsible for keeping Queensland’s vaccine and mask mandates, and quarantine and isolation rules in place even after the peak of state’s Omicron outbreak when 90% had been vaccinated, many against their will.
