Stop calling it 'Long Covid', doctors told... because illness is ... trends now

Doctors should stop using the term long Covid as it is creating 'unnecessary fear' in patients and hindering recoveries, research suggests.

Experts said the long-term symptoms some patients experience following infection are no different to those caused by other viruses such as flu.

Giving it this label 'wrongly implies there is something unique and exceptional about longer term symptoms' following a bout of Covid, they say.

Often self-diagnosed, the term was coined for a number of symptoms following Covid infection, which can persist for months or even years after the initial infection.

Around 1.9 million people in the UK are reported to suffer with it, with the term covering everything from fatigue and breathlessness to muscle and joint pain.

But researchers from Queensland Health say that it has only come to people's attention because of the sheer numbers infected with Covid, rather than the severity of long Covid symptoms or functional impairment.

Dr John Gerrard, Queensland's Chief Health Officer said: 'We believe it is time to stop using terms like 'long Covid'.

'They wrongly imply there is something unique and exceptional about longer term symptoms associated with this virus.

'This terminology can cause unnecessary fear, and in some cases, hypervigilance to longer symptoms that can impede recovery.'

To understand more about the impact of long Covid on the Australian state of Queensland, researchers surveyed 5,112 adults who had either Covid or flu between 29 May and 25 June 2022.

A year later, participants were asked about ongoing symptoms and the degree of functional impairment using a questionnaire.