The cases in the last days mark a frightening rise, with yesterday breaking a record with 6,494. The debate over lifting the restrictions remains on the ice for another week, and scientists and the Ministry of Health are now turning their attention to hospitalization. more. Specifically, yesterday Monday 6,494 new cases of coronavirus were detected and 3 deaths occurred, while 21 people are hospitalized in serious condition.
At the same time, decisions on the next steps to be taken by the government in the effort to stem the pandemic are evolving into a puzzle for strong solvers, with experts waiting for the data of the next few days before concluding the proposals that will be submitted to it. Minister of Health Michalis Hadjipandelas. The minister expects from the epidemiologists a plan to remove the restrictions, in order to avoid a new setback, but also Easter with fewer restrictions. Countries, such as Greece and Spain, have already announced their intention for universal lifting of restrictions in the near future, something that is not expected to happen in our country. It all depends on the hospital, with experts ringing the alarm bell and calling on citizens to be vaccinated. Another issue that concerns the members of the scientific team is the increase of Long Covid patients. There are many who believe that Long Covid will develop into a new disease, with experts recording the characteristics of these patients. Prolonged hospitalization in Intensive Care Units of people who are no longer infectious, but were admitted due to coronavirus also seems to be a concern. A typical example is an unvaccinated mother of five, who has been in the ICU for two months now, with doctors exaggerating to save her. Both the mother and the rest of her family chose not to be vaccinated, leaving them exposed to the virus. As “P” is informed, there are other similar cases, while incidents were recorded with citizens belonging to vulnerable groups who were not vaccinated, became ill and suffered for months.
Only 23% % of Post Covids have completed their vaccination schedule
The rise in the positive test rate is expected to continue to affect hospitalizations, with experts hoping, however, that there will be no increase in imports into MAF and ICU. According to the data available to OKYPY, within a week the number of hospitalizations increased by 24. Specifically, on March 21, 2022, the number of patients reached 149, of which 31 were in serious condition, while a week later the number of patients increased. at 173, with 18 people in MAF and ICU. The number of patients in the intensive care unit may be gradually declining, but a significant number of people infected with coronavirus continue to be treated. On average in the last week 22 patients who stopped being infectious continue to be treated intubated due to Covid in ICU. Most of them have not been vaccinated, while, as a competent source told “P”, only 23% of Post Covids completed their vaccination regimen at least six months ago.
According to what the head of the scientific advisory committee, Dr. Konstantinos Tsioutis, told Politis 107.6 and 97.6, 20-30% of people who have developed symptoms due to Covid-19 will suffer from Long Covid. The exact number of patients with Long Covid has not been recorded at the moment, however, according to Dr. Tsioutis, it is more than 30,000 of our fellow citizens, with these people increasing as the cases increase. According to the data available to the World Health Organization, 10-15% of citizens who are ill, experience symptoms for more than 4 weeks, while a significant percentage of them suffer for months. A competent source told “P” that about 60% of the citizens who have prolonged symptoms are citizens who had not received any dose of vaccine before the disease, while a percentage of about 25% concerns people who either received only one dose of vaccine or did not managed to develop antibodies. It is also worth noting that a large percentage of citizens who became ill after receiving only one dose of vaccine, did not complete their vaccination regimen, resulting in illness again in 4-5 months. Regarding the people who are hospitalized in the ICU, from the data that the experts have before them, it seems that 60-70% of them face problems due to the coronavirus, even six months after their illness. There are cases where they experience symptoms even one year after the disease, and most of the time they are people who belong to the vulnerable groups.
“We are still behind”
Even those who are hospitalized with mild symptoms or have had it at home, Dr. Tsioutis said, may suffer from coughs, memory problems and fatigue. He explained that worldwide there are clinics and support groups for patients with Long Covid and the creation of the team in Cyprus follows this trend. Long Covid, he explained, is a syndrome and has not yet been recognized as a disease. It must now be recognized as a medical condition in order to be properly treated. “I would not say that the best care is provided, as there is a lot we do not know yet,” he said, adding that in Cyprus we are still behind. Regarding the symptoms, Dr. Tsioutis pointed out that they last between six months and a year. Heart problems also occur very often. Other patients also had problems with their lungs, he said. Recently, the Federation of Patients' Associations of Cyprus announced the establishment of the “Long Covid Cyprus” group, which aims to support patients with problems after Covid-19 disease, to inform the public and the state about the “Long Covid” situation. , and claiming medical support and research initiatives for “Long Covid” in Cyprus.
