‘HIDDEN WAVE’ OF CORONA
Post-Covid patients back in hospital with after-effects
IRISH hospitals are seeing a ‘hidden wave of outpatients’ struggling with the after-effects of Covid-19, according to a leading consultant.
Just over six months since the first case of the virus was reported in Ireland, doctors are now treating people with a range of symptoms including chronic headaches, fatigue, hair loss, neurological issues and cardiac conditions.
These patients are being named ‘long haulers’ and marked as having post-Covid syndrome. Dr Eoghan de Barra of the Royal College of Surgeons, and secretary with the Infectious Diseases Society, warned: ‘There is a hidden second wave of outpatients, and most of the infectious disease centres across the country have set up a service to deal with this. There are no resources
being thrown at it.’ The warning came as another 231 cases of Covid19 were confirmed in the state yesterday, 133 of them in Dublin, but no new deaths were notified.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn warned people in the capital in particular to keep up the fight against the disease, with the HSE opening two pop-up test centres, at Croke Park and in Castleknock over the weekend.
‘It is now really important that people in Dublin keep their social contacts as low as possible. It is also vitally important that if you feel unwell, you self-isolate immediately. Phone your GP without delay if you have a concern.
‘Know the symptoms to pay close attention to – cough, shortness of breath, fever, loss of sense of taste or smell. Please come forward for testing if you have any concerns. Remember that if you do need a test, it will be free.’
Of the 231 cases announced yesterday, 69% were aged under 45, while 48% were associated with existing outbreaks or contact with an already confirmed case, and 54 from unknown community transmission.
There were 133 cases in Dublin, 18 in Kildare, 13 in Limerick, eight in Offaly, seven in Galway, seven in Wicklow, six in Meath, six in Cork, five in Donegal, five in Cavan, five in Waterford, and the remaining 18 cases in Carlow, Clare, Kerry, Laois, Leitrim, Louth, Mayo, Monaghan, Sligo and Tipperary.
Dr De Barra said his colleagues in hospitals around Ireland are all facing similar problems, with doctors reporting 30 to 40 referrals every week already. He said fatigue is the most common issue, with a much smaller group having lung or heart problems.
The Beaumont Hospital consultant said: ‘Certainly in Beaumont we are following up all of those patients, some of them have residual heart damage but more frequently lung damage.’
But he said behind this highly visible group of hospital patients, is another larger group.
The latest figures show 29,303 cases in a very short period of time. The consultant said if even a small percentage of these have lingering symptoms, it could mean hundreds of people suffering even the rarer problems.
Dr De Barra said: ‘There are a lot of people seeking answers, seeking care. It is not clear how common some of these effects are, but there are lots of people being referred to services, lots of GPs seeking secondary advice as to what to do next. There aren’t any resources being dedicated to what I am calling the hidden wave or the hidden second wave.’
Mother-of-five Gillian Hinds has been struggling since getting sick on April 2. She said that breathing difficulties and joint pain are the most severe symptoms: ‘I have a list of symptoms as long as my arm. I have developed constant chest pain, headaches, dizziness, gastritis, burning veins, phosphate deficiency and sleep apnoea. There is not one part of my body that hasn’t been affected.’
Gillian, 43, did not develop a fever at first although she rapidly became extremely sick. She lives in Co. Down and at the time her symptoms did not meet the case definition for testing.
Her local hospital ran other tests but could only say she had an unidentifiable virus. However, her GP strongly suspects she had Covid.
She was on sick leave for 10 weeks, and now can only work from home.
‘When I went back to work, I thought maybe I was getting a bit better, but I found I got worse again quite quickly,’ she said.
Even vacuuming can leave her breathless, she said, and in agony, which is a great worry to her partner and children.
A member of the ‘Covid UK Long Haulers’ Facebook group, she said talking to other people in the same position has restored her sanity.
‘I am not very sporty, but I was active before, and doctors made me feel like a hypochondriac. You feel abandoned by doctors when they don’t know what to do. It is definitely lonely.’
At first, some doctors told her it could be anxiety, but five months down the line she is sure something else is going on. This week she meets with cardiologist and respiratory consultants and is also looking into holistic treatment.
Even her hair was ravaged by the disease.
‘It is terrifying, the damage Covid can do to your body, and not know yet if it is permanent,’ she said.
This week, a leading epidemiologist said there could be as many as 60,000 sufferers across the UK. Professor Tim Spector said most people taking part in a study he is running were not in hospital, didn’t have a fever but months later are not returned to full health.
Another 231 cases of coronavirus were reported in Ireland yesterday.
One senior Government source commented: ‘This adds to concerns surrounding the return of colleges shortly.’
They added that in relation to restrictions and concerns raised around inspections of pubs and private dwellings: ‘In terms of consent, we are watching this very carefully, particularly the issue of human rights.’
However, on the prospect of reopening the remaining pubs, with a reported date in mid-September, the source said: ‘There is no decision on pubs yet. It is important that it is done right. ‘They will reopen, of that there is no doubt but it is when NPHET says the correct protocols are there.’
‘It’s the hidden wave or hidden second wave’