United States: According to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services report, as presented on Wednesday, long COVID is majorly affecting several residents in Utah.
The report urged medical providers, patients, and others to provide support to the people of Utah in order to live a healthy life in the area.
More about the news
According to the report, “About one out of every 12 Utahns is experiencing long COVID and facing the physical, mental, emotional and financial impacts that can arise. There is a significant unmet need to acknowledge and support these patients and their caregivers,” ksl.com reported.
What more has the report suggested?
The report suggested that there are around 57 percent of the Utahns reported suffering from severe symptoms of long COVID, which has been impacting their daily lives, as mentioned in a 2022 survey, where 43 percent were facing mild symptoms.
People with long COVID are already twice as likely as the population as a whole to present symptoms of depression and anxiety.
After effects of COVID illness
Cindy Wynette, a vaccine program manager with the health department and constantly experiencing the after effects of COVID illness, said she had no one to talk to.
She enjoyed engaging in matters concerning long COVID in a Facebook group she also used to source information.
Cindy Wynette, a vaccine program manager with the health department who also had lingering symptoms of COVID-19, said she felt alone and didn’t have anybody to vent to. She appreciated being able to have discussions in a long COVID Facebook group, which she also used to find resources.
According to her, “I was so lucky that my symptoms weren’t as severe,” and “But I can tell you that after about two years, it really did start to get to me.”
Wynette said she lost her ability to smell and taste for nearly a year and then had only very limited ability for an even longer time – which was bad for cooking food to serve the family and eating it.
Now, she said she gets each COVID-19 vaccine because she does not know what may result from having COVID-19 again and does not wish to find out.
They said that the prevention of long COVID is only manageable through the administration of vaccines.
She said, “My body just could not regulate and do, like, the normal things that it was supposed to do,” as ksl.com reported.