Post Covid-19 illness can trouble for months, says doctor who heads post Covid clinic at KGMU

Doctors in the private sector say post-Covid-19 trouble depends upon the intensity of the infection people suffered

Post-Covid-19 health issues are troubling patients not just for a month or two but even longer.

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Samples this: a man in his early 40s came to see a doctor at the post-Covid-19 clinic in King George’s Medical University (KGMU), on Thursday. “The man complained of a breathing problem along with weakness. He had tested positive for Covid-19 in the second half of November 2020,” said Prof Surya Kant, HoD, respiratory medicine, KGMU.

The other case was of a man who had tested positive for Covid-19 in April 2021. He came to the clinic complaining of excessive weakness.

“I am getting eight to 10 cases of post-Covid-19 trouble and these patients have had Covid-19 at least six months ago. Some even nine months before,” said Surya Kant, who is running the post-Covid-19 clinic at KGMU, which is the only one of its type in the state.

There are three main categories of post-Covid-19 trouble that patients coming to the clinic face. “In all, 50% have trouble in the lungs, 30% have sleeplessness or psychiatric problems and 20% come with excessive weakness and fatigue,” said Surya Kant.

“Statistically, 70% patients fell ill with Covid-19 along with a positive test report, while 30% had symptoms but a negative test report. But both categories suffered similarly and even post-Covid-19 problems are the same,” said Surya Kant. KGMU had made three wards separately for presumptive Covid-19-positive patients.

“Not just those who tested positive but even those who hadn’t tested positive face similar problems. The other category of patients is of those who had their CT score above 15. Such patients were also treated as presumptive Covid-19-positive cases and given similar medical care,” said Surya Kant.