Recovering from COVID-19? All You need to know about Post COVID Conditions

While most people recover after a few weeks of contracting the COVID-19 virus, for some people the illness and post-COVID condition lingers on for much longer. Post COVID conditions could lead to health problems that might affect people for four or more weeks after first being infected by the virus. These post COVID conditions are popularly referred to as long COVID, post acute COVID, Chronic COVID, among other names. People who may not have had COVID-19 symptoms after being infected by the virus, may also show signs and symptoms of post COVID conditions. In different people, different types and combinations of health issues may manifest for different periods of time as post COVID conditions. 

If a person experience any of the following symptoms for more than 4 weeks after first contracting the COVID-19 infection, then he/she is said to have long COVID. These symptoms include the following :

• Extreme tiredness or fatigue 
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, heart palpitations or chest tightness and pain 
• Problems with memory and concentration
• Changes to taste and smell
• Joint and muscle pain

What Are The Different Types of Post-COVID Conditions?

New Symptoms or Symptoms That Last Much Longer 

As mentioned earlier, post COVID symptoms can also be seen in people who might have had a mild illness or if they have no major, significant symptoms. In post COVID conditions, people might experience symptoms that could prolong for weeks or months. Following are the symptoms that people experience, and different individuals might experience different levels of severity: 

• Having difficulty breathing or having shortness of breath
• Experiencing tiredness or fatigue
• Symptoms that get more severe or worse after physical or mental activities. This is known as post-exertional malaise 
• Brain fog, wherein you might face difficulty in focusing or concentrating
• Cough
• Chest or stomach pain
• Headache
• Heart palpitations, wherein your heart beats very fast 
• Joint or muscle pain
• Pins-and-needles feeling
• Diarrhea
• Having difficulty with sleep
• Fever
• Experiencing lightheadedness or dizziness on standing
• Getting rashes
• Experiencing mood swings
• Experiencing changes in the sense of smell or taste
• Changes in menstrual cycles

Multiorgan Effects of COVID-19

There are cases and instances where after experiencing severe illness because of COVID, people tend to experience multiorgan effects or autoimmune conditions. Multiorgan effects tend to affect bodily systems and organs including the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys or the skin. People experience autoimmune conditions when their immune system goes on an overdrive and starts attacking the healthy cells of the body leading to inflammation or tissue damage in the body. In some rare instances, some people, especially children might also experience multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) either during or immediately after contracting the COVID-19 infection. This condition results in the inflammation of the different body parts. 

After Effects of COVID-19 Illness or Hospitalization

Severe illness or hospitalization caused to COVID can result in the patient experiencing issues such as exhaustion or weakness either during or post the recovery period. An individual might also experience post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) wherein he/she might face difficulties with thinking and judgment, might experience weakness or might experience post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Despite an understanding of these symptoms and conditions, it can be difficult to ascertain if a person is experiencing symptoms because of long term effects of the virus or because of the after effects of hospitalization or because of one’s mental health struggles in relation to the pandemic because of isolation, stress, anxiety, etc.

What Can You Do?

During Covid-19 recovery, in case any of your symptoms are very severe or if you have any of the symptoms listed below, it is important that you reach out to a doctor, inform them that you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 previously and get their advice.

• Severe shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• severe chest pain or pressure
• A new or returning fever
• Ability to concentrate getting worse or increased confusion
• Difficulty waking up

In case your symptoms during Covid-19 recovery aren’t very severe, it is still important to keep your condition in check and discuss the same with your doctor. The doctor will be able to guide you best on how to manage the symptoms and what medicines you can take. 

The best way to avoid or prevent post COVID conditions is obviously preventing contracting the COVID-19 virus and the illness. To ensure the same, make sure that you are vaccinated and have received the required doses and booster doses. Over and above this, following the below stated precautions can help you from getting infected: 

• Make sure you always wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth
• Maintain 6 feet distance from other people when you are in public places
• Avoid being in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor spaces 
• Wash and sanitize your hands frequently

COVID-19 Support Services By First Response Healthcare In Dubai

First Response Healthcare (FRH) is a JCI accredited home healthcare company in Dubai that provides prompt and reliable medical care to patients through services that are high quality, patient centric and comprehensive. FRH provides all its services right at your doorstep, in the comfort of your own home. For implementing international and high quality standards in its services, FRH has received a gold seal of approval from the Joint Commission International Standards for Home Healthcare.

Features That Make FRH Different: 

• We can reach you anytime 24/7, 365 days a year, even on weekends and public holidays. 
• We arrive within 30* minutes after we receive an appointment booking from you. 
• You can avail our services anywhere within the Emirate of Dubai 
• Our team of healthcare professionals can visit you at your home, hotel or office. 

Doctor On Call Service in Dubai 

Our Doctor On Call Service ensures that a doctor from our team reaches you anywhere in Dubai, within 30 minutes of your booking an appointment with us. We make sure that our services are reliable, professional, personalized and effective. We can visit you anywhere at your home, hotel or office. Our doctors have great expertise, are internationally trained and they even offer their services on weekends and holidays. They offer diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of conditions including COVID or post COVID related issues. 

1. Premium Service: We make sure that patients get premium services with personalized attention and a customized treatment plan. 
2. Diagnostics: Our team manages the laboratory tests sample collection. We make sure to give results of tests at the earliest possible to make sure clinical decisions related to your treatment can be taken fast. 
3. Referrals to Specialist: Our home doctor will assess if there is a requirement to do a specialist referral or referral to an inpatient facility. 
4. Diagnosis for All Age Groups: We treat patients of all age groups right from children to elderly. 
5. Pediatric/Child Care: Our doctors also provide child consultation, diagnosis and treatment in coordination with Referral to a Specialist as required.
6. Pharmacy Delivery: We make sure that medicines reach you at the earliest using our access to our 24-hour pharmacy partner services.

COVID-19 PCR Sample Collection At Home In Dubai

If you’re looking to get a COVID Test because of some symptoms that you might have, First Response Healthcare (FRH) offers the service of getting your COVID-19 Test done right in your home, office or hotel at a time convenient to you. Our services are available 24/7, all 365 days a year and we can reach you within 30 minutes, anywhere in Dubai. A fully gowned-up nurse (with all Personal Protection Equipment, PPE) would visit a location of your preference for the sample collection. According to the DHA data requirement guidelines, you will be asked to share your name, Emirates ID, contact email, address, occupation and travel history.  Once the collection is done, your sample will be sent to a DHA approved and accredited laboratory for evaluation. We make sure to send the results of your test by email within 18-20 hours. If you wish to get the test results sooner, you can choose our Express Service wherein you’ll get the test reports within 8-10 hours. 

First Response Healthcare Offers:

•       Mobile On Demand Service
•       The test is administered by one of our DHA Licensed nurses
•       Through our express Service, you can your test results within 10-12 hours
•       Our Test Reports are accepted by all airlines and act as a documentation and evidence for travel
•       All our Partner Labs are certified, accredited and DHA approved
•       We can reach you anywhere across the Emirate of Dubai
•       We have 24/7 Call Support Desk that you can reach out to any time
•       We collect samples from homes, offices, and hotels.
•       In case you need to take a trip for emergency travel or have a flight on the same day, we ensure that you get your test results in time. 

To avail the service of a doctor at home or to get a COVID-19 test in Dubai, you can call on 0505050387 or 800DIALDOC. You can also make an appointment by visiting https://firstresponsehealthcare.com/ae/dubai