‘Long Covid’ sufferers slam top doctor for saying people should stop using the term – after study showed it’s no worse than other post-viral conditions

A Chief Health Officer who branded Long Covid a “sinister” term causing “unnecessary fear” has come under fire from patients who say the condition has drastically affected their health.

Queensland’s chief medical officer Dr. John Gerrard declared two weeks ago that the term ‘long Covid’ was ‘misleading’ and ‘harmful’ after a study found its symptoms were indistinguishable from the lingering effects of other respiratory viruses.

Victorian woman Miquette Abercrombie from the Australia Long Covid Community group said Dr Gerrard’s message undermined those suffering from the condition, which is still often dismissed by doctors.

“This is real and many of us are suffering,” Ms Abecrombie told the ABC on the day of Dr Gerrard’s recommendation.

“It takes away our identity, it’s our voice.”

She told me Courier mail that the statement undermined those who suffered from the condition.

“The level of anger and surprise following the CHO’s message was enormous,” Ms Abecrombie said.

“One of the biggest challenges members face is being taken seriously by the medical community. They must be believed and a treatment must be developed.’

Queenslander Gary Macpherson was put in intensive care for six weeks after contracting Covid in 2020, but he says it was just the start of his health nightmare.

‘I haven’t had Covid for long. I have Covid for life,” he told the Courier mail.

‘It’s very real. Although I am not as debilitated as I used to be, I still have only 80 percent of lung function and kidney problems. I have no buffer if I get sick again.’

Melissa Austin, 47, said she has struggled to get doctors to take her long Covid-19 seriously and Dr Gerrard’s suggestion could make that worse.

‘Why would healthcare staff intervene? Queensland take patients seriously when the lead doctor downplays the very real condition that is affecting more and more people?’ Ms Austin, who is a member of the 4700-strong Australia Long Covid Group, said.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr. John Gerrard said the symptoms for long Covid were identical to the after-effects of other respiratory viruses

While Ms Austin said she does not deny that Covid has long had the same symptoms as other viruses, it is still essential that the condition is recognized as a separate disease to validate patients and receive specialist treatment.

In her own case, she said the condition left her feeling like her nervous system was “constantly being eaten away by ants.”

‘My brain would freeze and I would have no idea where I was in my own house. I got on a bus and sat there, with no idea where I was going or why. It was so scary,” she said.

‘I had such severe chest pain that I ended up in the emergency department several times only to be told they couldn’t find anything wrong.

‘I literally felt like I was going crazy and was all alone.’

In advising against use of the term long Covid, Dr Gerrard did not dismiss it as a condition but said it could accompany other post-viral symptoms.

‘Post-viral syndromes do occur. We absolutely say it exists,” he said.

“We see it with the Ross River virus. It is clear that we also see this with influenza. Our evidence suggests that this is not the case and that it is no different from other viruses.

‘That doesn’t mean you can’t get these persistent symptoms after Covid-19, but you’re no more likely to get it after Covid-19 than with other respiratory viruses.’

Long Covid-19 patients have reacted with outrage to Dr Gerrard’s comments (pictured from a protest outside Victoria’s Parliament)

The conclusion was drawn from a study in Queensland that monitored lasting effects on about 2,400 people who had contracted Covid and about 2,700 people who had contracted other viruses such as flu.

A year after infection, about 16 percent of all respondents reported persistent symptoms, regardless of whether they had Covid or other viruses.

Three percent of Covid patients reported moderate to severe disability, while of those who had other viruses, 4.1 percent reported more severe long-term effects.

These symptoms usually included fatigue, brain fog, and changes in taste and smell, all of which could worsen after exercise.

After controlling for factors such as age, gender and whether the participants were Indigenous, the researchers found that Covid was no longer a lasting disability than other respiratory viruses.