JAPANESE DOCS WARN OF LONGER COVID AFTEREFFECTS

Doctors have warned that many coronavirus patients, especially younger ones, are suffering aftereffects for a long time despite subsequently testing negative for the virus and are calling on the government to take countermeasures, Mainichi Shimbun reported.

The aftereffects include malaise and difficulty breathing. In severe cases, patients became bedridden even though they had been diagnosed with a mild case of the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus.

So far in Japan, there are not many medical institutions that treat patients suffering from such long-lasting effects. "Most of them are in their 40s or younger. The government needs to take the issue seriously and implement countermeasures," one of the doctors said.

Kaai Akimoto, a 30-year-old president of a nursing care company, was diagnosed with the virus in November, and her sense of taste remained lost as of January.

"I wonder how long it will last," she said. She sought the advice of an otolaryngologist who told her, "Nothing can be done."

Another doctor prescribed her traditional "kampo" herbal medicine, but her condition did not improve. Recently, she has a hard time eating because hot food now smells strange to her.

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