Edited News | WHO
STORYLINE
UN health agency issues definition of post COVID-19 condition to aid treatment
The first official clinical definition of “post COVID” condition has been agreed upon after global consultation and released to help boost treatment for sufferers, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
The emerging illness, which is also referred to as “long COVID” among many other similar iterations, occurs in individuals who have had confirmed or probable new coronavirus infections, “usually three months on from the onset of the COVID-19 (and) with symptoms that last for at least two months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis” said Dr Janet Diaz, Head, Clinical Management, WHO.
Until now, a lack of clarity among health care professionals about the condition has complicated efforts in advancing research and treatment, WHO explained, in a document detailing its reasons for pursuing a globally standardized clinical case definition.
Speaking via Zoom at UN Geneva, the WHO official explained that symptoms include “fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive disfunction, but also others which generally have an impact on everyday functioning. Symptoms may be new-onset, following the initial recovery from the acute episode, or persist from the initial illness. And then symptoms can also fluctuate or relapse over time.”
In issuing the definition, WHO noted that most patients who suffer from COVID-19 fully recover, although some suffer “long-term effects on several body systems, including pulmonary, cardiovascular and nervous systems, as well as psychological effects”. These effects can happen irrespective of the initial severity of infection; they also occur more frequently in women, middle age, and in those who displayed more symptoms initially.
Describing the new definition as “an important step forward” in standardizing the recognition of patients with post COVID-19 condition, Dr Diaz said it was the UN agency’s hope that “it will help clinicians and health workers recognize patients and start them on appropriate treatments and interventions and clear pathways. We hope that policymakers and health systems will set up and implement integrated health models to care for these patients.”
Although several tests exist for the initial COVID-19 infection, there is no such solution for post COVID-19 condition, and it is still unclear exactly what triggers it in sufferers.
“Is it viral persistence, and/or, is there microthrombosis (or) some problem with the vasculature,” Dr Diaz said, outlining some of the current thinking among scientists carrying out research in the field. “And/or is there problems of autoimmunity, or the immune system that is disfunctioning and that’s causing some of the symptoms?”
The full definition of Post COVID-19 condition is the following:
“Post COVID-19 condition occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, usually three months from the onset of COVID-19 with symptoms that last for at least two months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction but also others which generally have an impact on everyday functioning. Symptoms may be new onset, following initial recovery from an acute COVID-19 episode, or persist from the initial illness. Symptoms may also fluctuate or relapse over time. A separate definition may be applicable for children.”
Ends
STORY: 'Post COVID-19 condition' clinical definition - WHO
TRT: 1’44”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 8 October 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1
1
2
Edited News | WHO
The first meagre midweek delivery of urgently needed medical goods to enter Gaza in months will provide scant relief to the enclave’s people, who continue to be shot and killed as they search for food, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
2
1
2
Statements , Edited News | HRC
Enhanced interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on Myanmar presented by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and oral update by Thomas Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
1
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
The conflict-impacted people of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) urgently need much more international assistance than they are getting today, the UN’s top aid official said on Thursday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNOG
Violence in Myanmar is spiralling as the military junta increases its attacks on monasteries, schools and camps sheltering people uprooted by the civil war, a top independent human rights investigator warned on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on Palestinians killed seeking food in Gaza
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Iran-Israel war: UN rights office concerned over strike on Tehran prison, reported espionage arrests
Tehran’s notorious Evin prison known for holding dissidents should not be a target, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday, a day after a reported Israeli strike on the complex.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO
Death and suffering in Gaza are ever-present and the enclave's people now have little choice but to risk their lives to fetch aid supplies, UN agencies said on Friday. “I met a little boy who was wounded by a tank shell at one of these sites on the final day of me leaving Gaza - I learnt that this little boy had since died of those injuries,” said UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder. “That speaks to both what is happening at these sites and what is not happening when it comes to medical evacuations.”
1
1
1
Edited News | UNCTAD
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) launched today the World Investment Report 2025. Global foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 11%, marking the second consecutive year of decline and confirming a deepening slowdown in productive capital flows, according to the report.
1
1
1
Edited News
Afghan journalist Zahra Nader fled twice due to Taliban rule, highlighting severe women's rights issues.
1
1
1
Edited News
Gazan photojournalist Motaz Azaiza documents war's impact, gaining global attention but facing personal peril.
1
1
1
Edited News | HRC
As the Iran-Israel crisis continued into a sixth day, the UN deputy human rights chief Nada Al-Nashif called for urgent talks to end the continuing exchanges of missile attacks between Tehran and Tel-Aviv.
2
1
1
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
Heavy fighting in Sudan continues to escalate as a “direct result” of the continued flow of arms into the country meaning that the war is far from over, top independent human rights investigators said on Tuesday.