While paying attention to Covid-19 transmission is important, contracting “Long Covid-19” is also a very real concern for the community, according to a Charleston public health official.
“Long Covid is a big problem,” said Dr. Michael Sweat, director of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Center for Global Health. Long Covid is defined as symptoms of Covid that can last for weeks, months or even years after contracting Covid-19, accord to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Meanwhile, the CDC and the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) have stopped requiring weekly case reporting. For more information, see the latest Covid-19 data below.
Sweat found that 26% of South Carolinians who had contracted Covid experienced Long Covid symptoms, as reported through the MUSC COVID-19 Epidemiology Intelligence Project which shows recent data from a U.S. Census Bureau study. Among those who experienced Long Covid symptoms, 4% said their ability to carry out daily activities has been negatively affected.
“It’s pretty striking,” Sweat told the Charleston City Paper. “A lot of people end up getting really heavy impacts from it over time. I did some calculating on this, and it comes out to about 5,000 people in the tri-county area who would be in the category of having Long Covid to the point that they can’t carry out their daily activities, so it’s a risk,” he said.
“It’s one more reason, when the numbers get high and for people who are vulnerable in particular, to cut back on exposure. Maybe use the mask again for a while. Long Covid affects a lot of younger people too, which is an odd phenomenon. The most prevalent group is between the ages of 24 and 35.”
Latest Covid-19 data
CDC reports show the hospital admission level of the Covid-19 virus has remained low in the Charleston area. For the week ending June 17, Covid-related hospitalizations in Charleston decreased 11.7% in comparison to the week ending June 10.
State health officials encourage residents to refer to the CDC’s Covid-19 by county webpage and track hospital admission levels to guide prevention decisions and track the severity of Covid-19.
The agency’s national wastewater surveillance system reports whether Covid-19 levels in communities are currently higher or lower than they’ve been historically. Charleston County reports a low concentration of Covid-19 in wastewater as of June 26.
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