Know all about Covid fatigue and ways to overcome it
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Know all about Covid fatigue and ways to overcome it

City docs say it can last up to 6 months

Know all about Covid fatigue and ways to overcome it

New Delhi: The Covid-19 situation is worsening day by day in India. On Monday, Delhi recorded its highest single-day spike of 11,491 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours.

However, the virus doesn’t come alone, it brings with it several side effects like fatigue. When CitySpidey spoke to Dr Praveen Pratap Singh, Chief Medical Officer [Non-functional Selection Grade] of Cantonment General Hospital in Delhi Cantt, he said, “Fatigue is very common after viral infections, such as Covid and normally it settles after 2 to 3 weeks. However, in some people it can linger for weeks and months.”

Fatigue continues even after a person recovers from Covid. When we spoke to 24-year-old Daksh Mehta, who was suffering from Covid last year, he said, “My whole family, including me, was suffering from Covid-19 in June 2020. After we recovered, we were not able to feel energetic for about 6 months. Everybody remained tired and we avoided going out for months even after our recovery. I also felt the problem of memory loss, since I used to forget most of the names which  earlier did not happen with me. The major issue was the fatigue  problem.”

What is Covid-19 fatigue?

It is very common after viral infections, such as Covid, to feel exhausted and normally it settles after 2 to 3 weeks. We all are familiar with the feeling of fatigue after exercise or a long period of concentration, sometimes fatigue can be felt in a way that does not seem normal. It can leave people feeling dull and finding it difficult to concentrate and recall things.

Dr Pratap said, “Fatigue may be a symptom of Covid-19. There are many reasons why people feel fatigued after a Covid infection. It is a continuing response to the COVID virus even though the infection has got better. This can take up to 6 months to resolve.”

According to him, the firstmost thing is to identify that a person is suffering from Covid fatigue. In this case, he said, “If the patient reports in OPD with the symptom of fatigue, he must get tested by  Reserve transcription [RT]- Polymerase chain reaction [PCR]. If it is post Covid fatigue, the patient will have to give a history of past infection of Covid-19.”

Covid fatigue is normally a post Covid thing. A person can easily recover from it, though it puts our physical health at risk. It can also affect your daily routine work.

According to Dr Pratap, around 20 to 30 percent of patients complain of Covid fatigue. Most patients respond well after counselling. There are some simple strategies that we can follow to recover fast:

  • Follow a healthy diet.
  • Good sound sleep.
  • Physical activities like walking, jogging, and cycling, etc.
  • Take family support and let them understand the fatigue problem.
  • Try relaxation techniques like yoga, aromatherapy, and meditation.

Most patients recover from Covid-19 fatigue with time. We all need to find a way through this post Covid trauma, not only fatigue but also our mental health. Do not avoid such issues but try to find a healthy solution.