Consequences of the coronavirus - Long Covid remains a heavy burden for many people
During the Corona-Pandemic, for most people this could be history. However, Long- and Post-Covid still mean a challenging and lengthy struggle for many affected individuals. It remains difficult to give a definitive number of affected individuals, the Lower Saxony Health Ministry stated in response to an inquiry from dpa. Initial studies had predicted up to 40 percent of Corona-infected individuals as Long- or Post-Covid sufferers, but now approximately five to ten percent of infected individuals are expected. However, symptoms vary.
For a definitive diagnosis and therapy of the Post-Covid Syndrome, there are barely any evidence-based recommendations, the ministry explained. However, according to earlier statements by AOK, the largest health insurance provider in Lower Saxonia with over three million insured persons, significantly fewer people were sick-listed due to Post-Covid, Long Covid, or a chronic exhaustion syndrome in 2023 than in previous pandemic years.
Thousands of consultation hours over the hotline
Between March 2020 and December 2023, approximately 12,300 of the nearly 800,000 continuously insured AOK employees received at least one sick note due to the long-term consequences of Covid-19. The peak was reached in April 2022 with 371 affected individuals per 100,000 insured persons and dropped to 137 by the end of the previous year.
Since August, according to ministry statements, there has been a counseling hotline set up by the state and AOK Lower Saxony as a central point of contact. A total of 5,977 calls were received by the end of April, 1,965 of which were accepted. According to the ministry's database, a total of 1,703 consultations had been conducted through the hotline so far. The difference between call volume and conducted consultations is mainly due to technical difficulties such as poor connections, which led to additional calls but were only documented once.
Ambulances to help
The ministry also emphasized that the state government takes Long- and Post-Covid "very seriously." Therefore, two ambulances for Long- and Post-Covid patients have been set up at the Hannover Medical School and the University Medical Center Göttingen. The goal is to enable early and interdisciplinary treatment - above all, to help people who have been work- or school-disabled for a long time or are fighting with severe chronic exhaustion.
Treatment options are individual - a chronic smell and taste loss is treated differently than the psychological symptoms of a Long- or Post-Covid illness. In the case of chronic fatigue syndrome, the current recommendation is approximately the so-called Pacing, which means handling one's own energy resources carefully to avoid overload. However, there is still a lot of research needed.
- Despite initially predicting up to 40% of Corona-infected individuals as Long- or Post-Covid sufferers, the Lower Saxony Health Ministry now expects approximately 5-10% to be affected.
- To help individuals dealing with Long- and Post-Covid, a counseling hotline was established in August by the state government and BMG Lower Saxony.
- The BMG, as the largest health insurance provider in Lower Saxony, reported fewer people being sick-listed due to Long Covid, Post-Covid, or chronic exhaustion syndrome in 2023 compared to previous pandemic years.
- To address the varying symptoms of Long- and Post-Covid, treatment options are individualized, ranging from managing energy resources for chronic fatigue syndrome to addressing physical issues like chronic smell and taste loss.
