The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
‘Constellation’ of post-COVID symptoms will impact global healthcare, says WHO
Far more research is needed into the “constellation” of sometimes debilitating symptoms among people who’ve recovered from COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, adding that it “will impact” global health systems.
“We know that this post-COVID-19 condition or as patients, some patients also call it ‘long COVID’ and some clinicians call it ‘long COVID’, is a heterogenous group of symptoms that occur after the acute illness,” said Dr Janet Diaz, Team Lead, Health Care Readiness at WHO.
“So, these are symptoms or complications that can happen potentially a month after, three months after or even six months after, and as we are learning more, we are trying to understand the real duration of this condition.”
Citing reported symptoms such as neurological and physical illness, Dr Diaz noted that an unspecified number of sufferers had been unable to return to work, once they had recovered from the acute sickness caused by the new coronavirus.
“We are concerned obviously with the numbers of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus that the numbers…just by the magnitude of the pandemic, will impact health systems.”
Although comprehensive data on the condition is not yet available, the WHO official insisted that “these (symptoms) were real”.
“Some of the “more common” ailments were “fatigue, exhaustion and post-exertional malaise, cognitive disfunction”, along with what some patients called “brain fog”, Dr Diaz said, describing a “constellation of symptoms”.
Further research is also needed to drill down into how many COVID-19 sufferers who did not require intensive care unit (ICU) treatment still went on to develop the condition.
“What we know this far is that patients experiencing post-COVID-19 condition could have been hospitalized patients, those in the ICU. So we do know that has happened in patients who are very sick, but also in patients who were not managed inside the hospital, those patients that were deemed to have you know what we thought as mild illness and were treated in the ambulatory outpatient setting; but in fact, they have had complications and they have had persistent symptoms or new symptoms, you know persistent symptoms, or symptoms that waxed and waned, that came and went after their acute illness.”
To promote a better understanding of post-COVID sickness and support patient care and public health interventions, the WHO has called on clinicians and patients to report data on symptoms to the Organization’s Clinical Platform.
Its case report form – which is available in multiple languages - has been designed to report standardized clinical data from individuals after they have left hospital or after acute illness.
“What we don’t know is why it’s happening, so what is the pathophysiology or (inaudible) of this condition and so the researchers are really working hard to get to the answers of these questions, you know,” Dr Diaz said.
As of Friday 12 February 2021, WHO’s coronavirus tracker reported 107,252,265 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 2,355,339 deaths.
Regionally, the Americas have seen most cases to date, with 47,814,602 infections, followed by Europe (36,132,951), South-East Asia (13,141,859), Eastern Mediterranean (5,951,021), Africa (2,694,171) and Western Pacific (1,516,916).
- Exterior wide shot, UN flag flying, a cloudy day.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Dr Janet Diaz, Team Lead, Health Care Readiness, World Health Organization (WHO): “We know that this post-COVID-19 condition or as patients, some patients also call it, ‘long COVID’ and some clinicians call it ‘long COVID’, is a, is a heterogenous group of symptoms that occur after the acute illness. So, these are symptoms or complications that can happen potentially a month after, three months after or even six months after, and as we are learning more, we are trying to understand the real duration of this condition.”
- Wide shot, podium with speakers in a near-empty Room XIV in line with COVID-19 distancing measures, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Dr Janet Diaz, Team Lead, Health Care Readiness, World Health Organization (WHO): “We are concerned obviously with the numbers of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus that the numbers, even if it’s - we don’t know how common it is or how uncommon it is - but the numbers just by the magnitude of the pandemic will impact health systems.”
- Wide shot, podium with speakers in a near-empty Room XIV in line with COVID-19 distancing measures, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Dr Janet Diaz, Team Lead, Health Care Readiness, World Health Organization (WHO): “Some reports are showing that some of the more common symptoms of the post-COVID-19 condition can be fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and cognitive dysfunction and so and sometimes you may be hearing patients describe that as ‘brain fog’.”
- Medium wide-shot, UN staff member sitting in front of laptop, using listening device, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Dr Janet Diaz, Team Lead, Health Care Readiness, World Health Organization (WHO): “What we know this far is that patients experiencing post-COVID-19 condition could have been hospitalized patients, those in the ICU. So we do know that has happened in patients who are very sick, but also in patients who were not managed inside the hospital, those patients that were deemed to have, you know what we thought as mild illness and were treated in the ambulatory outpatient setting, but in fact, they have had complications and they have had persistent symptoms or new symptoms, you know persistent symptoms, or symptoms that waxed and waned, that came and went after their acute illness.”
- Medium wide-shot, journalists sitting in Room XIV, Palais des Nations
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Dr Janet Diaz, Team Lead, Health Care Readiness, World Health Organization (WHO): “What we don’t know is why it’s happening, so what is the pathophysiology or (inaudible) of this condition and so the researchers are really working hard to get to the answers of these questions, you know.”
- Medium shot, low angle-shot, UN staff member to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in the Geneva on Friday the UN Human Rights Office raised grave concerns about the recent constitutional amendments adopted in Pakistan.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson made the following comment on the most recent killings in the occupied West Bank yesterday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in the Geneva on Friday the UN Human Rights Office raised concerns about the military-controlled election in Myanmar, which starts next month and will be conducted in an atmosphere rife with threats and violence putting the lives of civilians at risk.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNAIDS
World AIDS Day 2025: Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
Gaza women are ‘last line of protection’ for their families amid attacks, hunger and harsh winter – UN Women
Women in Gaza are ensuring their families’ survival “with nothing but courage and exhausted hands” while violence continues and essentials remain in short supply, the UN’s gender equality agency warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Since the ceasefire began on 27 November 2024, Israeli military strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 127 civilians. Nearly a year later, these attacks continue to increase, causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian structures.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNCTAD
A new report by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) finds that the prolonged military operation and long-standing restrictions have driven the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory into its most severe contraction on record, wiping out decades of development gains and deepening fiscal and social fragility.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , WFP
Ongoing attacks and airstrikes attributed to Israeli forces in Gaza continue to kill and maim people of all ages in the shattered enclave despite an agreed ceasefire, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , OCHA
Gaza: After Security Council vote humanitarians urge aid scale-up as winter rains hit families hard
Following the UN Security Council’s Monday endorsement of a US peace plan for Gaza, UN humanitarians urged prioritizing aid access under the scheme as severe rains and flooding deepened Palestinian suffering.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , UNMAS , WHO
Just how many people are still trapped in the Sudanese city of El Fasher?
That’s the burning question for relatives of the many thousands of people believed to still be there, since paramilitary fighters overran the regional capital of North Darfur last month, after a 500-day siege.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following remarks on the ongoing violence in the occupied WestBank.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, the UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk made the following remarks on the situation in El-Fasher, Sudan.