Avellon Williams
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA- Coronavirus is continuing to affect countries all over the world, and while Guyana is showing signs of recovery such as fewer positive cases, hospitalisations, and deaths, there are still several persons with chronic symptoms, whose symptoms last for a long time after they become ill.
This condition is known as long-COVID or long-term effects of COVID in medical terminology.
To better manage the condition, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony, M.P., said local physicians must be trained in order to diagnose and treat patients.
“The first week of June we’ll have training for physicians, a lecture that would be done by one of the top experts at Mount Sinai, and this will be done for Guyanese physicians.
“So, we’re hoping with the training that a lot more of the medical doctors would become familiar with long-COVID, and hopefully they’ll be able to detect it and offer proper treatment for these patients,” Dr. Anthony said.
In addition, the minister said long-COVID generally affects people with underlying health conditions and those in hospitals, but it can also affect people with milder forms of the disease.
According to Dr. Anthony, the ministry has also created a multidisciplinary team at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where persons experiencing long-COVID symptoms can be diagnosed and treated.
The government has shifted its focus to patient rehabilitation a lot more these days, he said.
The symptoms of long-COVID are both physical and mental. Symptoms of the physical condition include tiredness, shortness of breath, loss of smell and taste, and headaches, while mental symptoms include anxiety, depression, and memory loss.
The minister encourages people experiencing symptoms of long-COVID to seek treatment as soon as possible.
