Research into long-term Covid cases took a step forward on Thursday with the launch of an international study aimed at collecting standardized data on the disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Consortium on Severe and Emerging Acute Respiratory Infections (ISARIC) have announced the launch of a project to collect data to better understand the characteristics of long-term Covid cases.
Read also: "The long Covid must not become a chronic disease"
In a statement released by the WHO, ISARIC said the long Covid, which remains one of the least understood aspects of the pandemic, was an
"emerging global health crisis".
Little is known about why some people, after going through the acute phase of the infection, have difficulty recovering and suffer from persistent symptoms such as shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, and brain ailments, as well. as heart and neurological disorders.
Although a
"significant number"
of Covid-19 patients go on to suffer from the long-term Covid syndrome,
"the facts on this disease are limited and based on small numbers of patients, with short-term follow-up
,
"
he said. 'ISARIC.
"There is a need to optimize and standardize the collection and communication of clinical data between studies (in particular clinical trials) and clinical practice for this condition,"
adds the organization. This research program will begin with a survey of people living with a long Covid.
Nearly 205 million cases of Coronavirus have been recorded since the outbreak of the epidemic in China in December 2019, according to a count established by AFP from official sources. The true figure, including unregistered cases, is certainly much higher, while the number of people with long-term Covid is simply unknown. WHO said last week it was working to put in place better rehabilitation programs for people with this form of the disease.