Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1347847
13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 MARCH 2021 'I might never get back to where I was before COVID' ANDREA (last name withheld), 44, tested pos- itive for COVID-19 on 4 April and has battled with the virus's after-effects for eleven-months To this day, she is still unsure if she will ever get back to where she was before contracting COVID-19. MaltaToday first spoke to Andrea first back in October 2020; this paper now speaks to her again. "Before contracting COVID-19, I was a very active person; contracting COVID-19 has changed all that… until December, I was still experiencing shortness of breath. I was still on an inhaler with steroids. During the Christmas period, on my doctor's advice, I went to get a chest X-ray; thank God, though, there was no permanent damage to my lungs. "However, the muscle pain and, to an extent, the fatigue still has not gone away… I never re- gained the muscle strength I had before con- tracting COVID-19. I'm talking about my back, hands, knees; it affected everything. It wor- ries me; I volunteer for an NGO, and even 11 months on, I don't think I'll be able to catch up: I worry that the activity will be too much for me. "I also find myself having panic attacks – whenever I go into an office or a crowded shop. And despite what people say, you still find these places. I have anxiety because I worry about getting the virus again. I see people hugging, and it puts me off. COVID affected my mental health immensely. "Sometimes, I drive past cafés and restaurants (note: this article was written before the closure of restaurants and snack bars), and I see them packed, not following guidelines. Or I see peo- ple walking in Gzira without masks, no enforce- ment. I'm shocked. People do not understand how dangerous this virus can be. "I'm not in favour of a lock- down per se, but more en- forcement is needed. The authorities' and the atti- tude of the prime min- ister that it's business as usual has only made the situation worse. I've grown fed-up with the attitude of the Maltese in general. I haven't seen my daughter in the UK for over a year due to the virus. Peo- ple need to start taking it seriously." Long COVID The UK's National Insti- tute for Health Research coined the term "long COVID" in a report on people living with the long-term ramifications of COVID-19, finding an ongoing COVID effect among them, and that that number was likely to increase in the coming months. The World Health Or- ganisation (WHO) said a significant proportion of those who have survived COVID-19 were asking when and whether their health will be fully re- stored. "These are the many thousands who are experiencing post-COVID conditions," the organ- isation said. The WHO said that the burden is real, and it is significant: about 1 in 10 COVID-19 suffers remains unwell after 12 weeks, and many for much longer. Then there are the mental ramifications of COVID-19. An Italian study found that 30% of patients who recov- ered from COVID-19 de- veloped posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Among the 381 patients who were followed, those who developed PTSD were more likely to be women, had higher rates of history of psy- chiatric disorder, and were more likely to have had delirium or agita- tion during their acute illness. CONTACT Adriana Farrugia or Erika Arrigo on 21382741 for sponsorship opportunities SCAN THIS CODE USING A QR SCANNER APP TO WATCH THE LATEST EPISODE ON YOUR SMARTPHONE