KUCHING, May 10: The Ministry of Health (MOH) reported that 61.2 per cent of patients who had severe Covid-19 illness in Malaysia suffered from two or more lingering symptoms or long Covid for three to six months after recovery.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin pointed out that the national prevalence of long Covid among patients who had recovered from Categories 4 and 5 Covid-19 was 65.1 per cent.
Among the most common lasting symptoms experienced which have impacted the day-to-day activities of affected individuals include fatigue, difficulty breathing, coughing, muscle and joint pain, trouble getting deep sleep, physical weakness, sensory problems, anxiety, brain fog and skin lesions.
“Since Covid-19 hit the country more than two years ago until today, more than 4.4 million individuals have recovered from the illness. However, for some individuals, it may be the beginning of another long battle towards full recovery.
“As of April 2022, a total of 2,798 patients have undergone long Covid rehabilitation medical treatment through in-patient treatment, while 6,432 patients have undergone out-patient treatment at public healthcare facilities under MOH across the country.
“About 30 to 40 per cent of long Covid patients were able to return to work within three months after infection, while 60 to 70 per cent returned to work within six months after infection,” he said in a statement today.
Without a specialised and structured treatment, Khairy emphasised, persistent symptoms could adversely affect the quality of lives of individuals with long Covid, and this condition can lead to implications such as increased morbidity, physical and functional losses, decreased productivity and loss of income.
“This in turn will not only cause socio-economic burden on individuals, but also that of their families, societies and nation’s economy.
“To address the long Covid effective and safely, MOH has published a National Post-Covid-19 Management Guideline in July 2021 as source of reference involving various disciplines of expertise including primer, contagious disease, in-patient treatment, nephrology, cardiology, respiratory, obstetrics, pediatrics, psychiatry and medical rehabilitation,” he explained.
Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), Miri Hospital and Sibu Hospital are among the major public hospitals in the country offering comprehensive and holistic rehabilitation programmes involving interdisciplinary expertise to help long Covid patients return to normal life.
Khairy thus advised individuals experiencing mild long Covid symptoms to undergo early assessment and evaluation as well as get treated at their nearest public health clinic throughout the country.
For those with severe long Covid symptoms which affects their ability to carry out daily activities and most importantly, are unable to return to work, they may refer to any public hospitals offering medical rehabilitation and treatment.
“MOH will continue to add more resources and equipment for the treatment and recovery of long Covid cases as part of the strategy to protect and treat those with high risk of getting Covid-19,” Khairy added. — DayakDaily
