Mumbai: How COVID-19 reinfection affects you

Maharashtra on Wednesday reported two deaths from COVID-19 and a total of 87 new cases. Officially, the state has had 10 cases of the JN.1 variant, with all patients having mild symptoms and having recovered. However, knowledge of the impact of reinfections, which many may experience if cases surge, is limited. Considering the existing knowledge about COVID and its long-term effects, doctors have urged citizens not to be dismissive and to take ample rest to recover well.

Cases have been mild, and so far, no serious cases have been observed," said Dr Rahul Pandit, part of Maharashtra's previous COVID-19 task force and chair of the ICU Unit at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital. On Wednesday, Maharashtra saw two COVID-related deaths - one in Sangli and one in Pune and 87 new cases. Of these, 19 were in Mumbai, bringing the total to 36 in Mumbai circle, which includes neighbouring areas like Thane, Navi Mumbai and Raigad.

Prediction difficult

"We cannot predict anything this early regarding people experiencing long COVID. We will have to wait and see with time. Not every COVID wave resulted in long-term symptoms, but there were many who experienced long COVID with the Delta wave," said Dr Pandit.

Many people infected in the Delta wave experienced long COVID, a doctor said. Pic/Satej Shinde

On Wednesday, Maharashtra saw two COVID-related deaths - one in Sangli and one in Pune and 87 new cases. Of the new cases, 19 were in Mumbai, bringing the total to 36 in Mumbai circle, which includes neighbouring areas like Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Raigad. The two patients who died were males - the one in Pune was 81 years old with kidney disease, and the one in Sangli was a 75-year-old with diabetes and hypertension. Although the deaths were reported on Wednesday, state officials said that both occurred a couple of days ago.

In India, there has been limited research and data on long COVID, but in other parts of the world, the condition has been widely reported with documented symptoms. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, common symptoms of long COVID include tiredness or fatigue that interferes with a person's daily life.

These symptoms get worse after physical or mental effort and also include neurological impacts like difficulty thinking or concentrating, referred to as ‘brain fog', headache, disrupted sleep cycles, dizziness, change in smell or taste, and sometimes depression or anxiety.

Year-long symptoms

Dr Rahul Chakor, neurologist at BYL Nair Hospital, said he has had patients approach him with symptoms of long COVID even after having a mild COVID infection. "Healthy individuals have had a drop in their energy levels along with complaints of memory issues and brain fog. These individuals had a history of mild to moderate COVID-19 infection not long before they developed these symptoms," Dr Chakor said. He added that some long COVID patients have been consulting him for nearly a year.

"These symptoms start appearing a couple of months after recovering from COVID-19," Dr Chakor said. A study released earlier this year, which comprised 10,000 Americans, showed that about 10 per cent appeared to have been suffering from long COVID after an Omicron infection. This long COVID proportion was considered lower than the proportion of long COVID in people infected earlier in the pandemic.

Dismissive patients, doctors

Meanwhile, closer to home, there has been underreporting of numbers either because people tend to be dismissive of their own condition or when patients do visit doctors with complaints of long COVID, the doctors show a dismissive attitude to their problems.

"Medical professionals also need to remember that long COVID is real and not psychological," Dr Chakor said, adding that its diagnosis is difficult, and doctors first need to rule out other possibilities that may be causing the condition. Dr Lancelot Pinto, consultant pulmonologist at PD Hinduja Hospital, noted that viral infections have always been noted to have long-term symptoms. There is also no specific treatment for long COVID. "There are a lot of hypotheses when it comes to long COVID, including what drugs may work, but there is a lot we do not yet understand," Dr Pinto said.

All three doctors added that it is necessary to have adequate rest after a COVID infection, as the sudden resumption of activities can worsen weakness and fatigue. "Those who are down with COVID or suspect COVID also need to make sure they do not spread it to others and pause activities until recovery," said Dr Pinto.

36
Total current cases in Mumbai circle

02
Deaths due to COVID in state on Wednesday