June 19, 2023
Caution needed with long Covid threat
The number of Covid cases dropped slightly over the past week, but a Māori GP and medical researcher says people shouldn’t be complacent.
There were 8544 new cases reported last week, with 246 cases in hospital as at midnight Sunday and 39 deaths during the week.
Dr Rawiri Keenan says that’s the equivalent of a busload of people still dying every week.
He says people need to also be aware of the risk of long Covid.
“Somewhere between one in five or one in 10 so every 10 people that get Covid, one in 10 of those ending up with troubles from Covid persisting 3, 6, 12 months or more onwards,” Dr Keenan says.
Simple precautions can help ward off Covid and influenza, including keeping up with vaccinations and wearing masks in crowded spaces.