February 26, 2021

Anna Murray 

World Health Organization (WHO), serving as the host organization for, and secretariat of, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, issued February 25 an official Policy Brief 39 document, entitled "In the wake of the pandemic: Preparing for Long COVID", called for cautions in treating patients with Long COVID seriously.

A team of 22 authors, led by Selina Rajan and other health experts, described that COVID-19 can cause persistent ill-health, referring to such patient groups as “Long COVID”. According to a thorough study of COVID-19 patients, the Brief Policy indicated a quarter of people who have been infected with the coronavirus experience symptoms that continue for at least a month but one in 10 remain ill after 12 weeks.

There is no simple symptom or test for diagnosing Long COVID, which is not yet fully understood. The WHO emphasized in the Brief Policy and urged global health policy-makers ought to be preparing to address Long COVID. The document suggested all countries in preparing care guidelines and multidisciplinary services need to be developed to ensure appropriate assessment and management of the deadly condition. 

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