Filenews 5 December 2021
People who have been through severe Covid-19 are then facing an increased risk of death within the next 12 months. This shows for the first time in new American scientific research, according to which the risk is more increased for those under 65, which is rather unexpected.
Only a fifth (20%) of patients with severe Covid-19 died due to serious complications. This finding, according to scientists, raises the question of whether "long Covid-19" can also be fatal, in addition to being annoying due to persistence of symptoms for months. This makes it necessary to vaccinate these individuals despite the natural immunity they have acquired due to their previous illness, so that they acquire "hybrid" immunity (vaccination and natural), which is superior.
The researchers, led by Professor Artes Mainus of the University of Florida, who published the paper in the medical journal "Frontiers in Medicine", analyzed data on 13,638 people, of whom 178 had been severely ill after Covid-19 infection, while 246 with mild to moderate symptoms.
The 12-month monitoring of the course of patients showed that those who had passed severe disease, had a significantly higher chance – more than double – to die within the next year, compared to those who had mild symptoms or were not infected by the coronavirus.
"A previous study had shown us that patients with severe Covid-19 who had recovered were at significantly greater risk of being hospitalized within the next six months. The new study shows that in these people there is also an increased risk of death within the next 12 months."
Patients with severe Covid-19 under the age of 65 were found to have a 233% increased chance of death within the next year of their recovery, compared to those who had not been ill due to coronavirus. The risk was higher than for people over 65 years of age.
Most of the following deaths among survivors of severe Covid-19 were not linked to the usual complications of acute disease, such as respiratory failure and thrombosis. 80% of deaths could be attributed to reasons typically unrelated to Covid-19, indicating that the previous severe disease had led to a general deterioration in patients' health, leaving them most vulnerable to various conditions. On the other hand, those who went through mild or moderate Covid-19 did not have a significantly increased risk of subsequent death, compared to those who did not contract coronavirus.
"We now know," Dr. Mainus said, "that there is a significant risk of death from possible – not recognized as such – complications of Covid-19. That is why we must be even more careful to reduce the likelihood of serious episodes of the disease. Taking risks hoping for successful treatment in the hospital does not correspond to the full picture of the incidence of Covid-19. Our recommendation is to vaccinate someone to avoid the heavy Covid-19."
