Long Covid casts a long shadow over Asia as patients cry out for a cure
- Studies suggest that 10 per cent of infections result in long Covid – though neither Singapore nor Malaysia track how many people have it
- The postviral condition has no known cure, with patients only receiving treatment for their symptoms like pain, fatigue and breathlessness
Before he caught Covid for the second time in August last year, Aaron* was “at the peak of his life”. He had just been promoted, was going on plenty of dates and like most people in their thirties was in good health.
But that all changed as he began to suffer from insomnia, heart palpitations and fatigue that made him feel perpetually “cold and weak”. In a matter of months, he lost a total of 10kg (22 pounds) – going from muscular to “bony”.
Even a trip to the supermarket became too laborious for the 37-year-old technician.
“I became very skinny and dependent on my parents. I don’t have the energy to do much and I don’t know why,” he said. “I used to enjoy hanging out with friends but by December, I had no strength or energy. Now, my mum has to get my groceries and cook for me.”
Aaron tried everything he could think of – consulting multiple specialists, checking himself into a mental health facility and even visiting a temple – and received a string of different diagnoses, before finally learning from a specialist that he had long Covid.
The condition, in which lingering effects continue for weeks, months or even years beyond the initial infection, is of growing concern in Asia as the world attempts to move on from the pandemic.