Post-COVID afflictions an ordeal for patients

Back-ache, joint pain, insomnia, and depression common among those who have recovered

Testing negative for COVID-19 does not signal the end of ordeal for some who continue to report persistent symptoms for weeks or months. Doctors are anticipating that more such instances will be reported over the next few weeks, considering the recent spike in cases. A 30-year-old ASHA worker in Piravom who tested positive around mid-April is yet to recover entirely. A persistent cough and breathlessness meant that she had to get a chest X-ray done recently. “I have been trying to get back to work, but the fatigue makes me want to sit or lie down all the time,” she says. Post-COVID clinics function at all primary health centres on Fridays, and daily at the Ernakulam General Hospital. Doctors at primary health centres say they have mostly been handling cases of fatigue and body aches.