Nurse appeals to citizens: Protect yourself from long covid

A nurse appealed to citizens on Saturday to protect themselves against long covid by getting vaccinated against covid19 as soon as possible. Jamie Charles, a registered nurse employed with the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA), made this appeal at the virtual health news conference on Saturday.

Long covid is used to describe signs and symptoms that last for a few weeks or months after having a confirmed or suspected case of covid19

Some symptoms of long covid include breathlessness, extreme tiredness, problems with memory and concentration (known as ‘brain fog’), difficulty sleeping, anxiety, dizziness, joint pain and a cough that’s been ongoing since a person had covid19.

Charles, who is based at the Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility (one of the hospitals in the parallel health care system established to deal with covid19 patients), said the length of time people can experience long covid symptoms has not been determined.

She also said she and her medical colleagues have seen covid19 patients develop symptoms of long covid.

"Where I work we have many patients battling this disease for longer than their expected quarantine period." Charles said the best way for people prevent themselves from experiencing long covid, is to prevent themselves from contracting covid19.

Charles and Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh reiterated that people should get vaccinated against covid19 as soon as possible, base their decisions on facts and not on information provided on social media or by people who do not have their best interests at heart.

Long covid symptoms can include:

difficulty sleeping (insomnia), dizziness, pins and needles joint pain, chest pain or tightness; heart palpitations (these may need urgently investigating, so it’s important to seek medical help as soon as possible), depression and anxiety tinnitus, earaches, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite, high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste, rashes