Long COVID, dubbed as Post Covid -19 syndrome is a familiar term and concern among many healthcare professionals. This includes lingering symptoms of acute or active viral infection involving multiple organ systems. Researchers from the University of Birmingham, UK, have developed and validated a comprehensive survey questionnaire to pinpoint a universal definition for long COVID that includes over 50 symptoms. 

Dr. Marathe stated that 30% of the survivors have experienced long Covid with different presentations and manifestations to varying degrees. She added that the intensity of these symptoms also varied from mild to severe, even causing disability in some people. 

The study describing the directives and framing of symptom burden survey for Covid is published in the BMJ.. The lead researcher of the study Dr. Sarah Hughes stated that long COVID covers a broad spectrum of symptoms that appear at any time in the post-recovery period making the calculation of the Covid infection period difficult. Dr. Marathe echoed her thoughts and stated that the long COVID questionnaire is an important survey to determine if long Covid is a single condition or multiple conditions joined by the same origin of COVID-19 infection. She added the survey is a valuable study that will help clinicians and healthcare workers to better understand, evaluate and manage the pandemic situation.