Controversial Research Casts Doubt on Long COVID

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April 02, 2024

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Exercise 1

Vocabulary

Repeat each word, definition, and example sentence after your tutor.

fatigue

Noun

fəˈtiːg

extreme tiredness caused by physical or mental activity or illness

Yoga can be an effective remedy for both physical and mental fatigue.

impairment

Noun

ɪmˈpermənt

the state of having a part of the body or brain that does not work correctly

After the stroke, he struggled with a mild cognitive impairment.

indistinguishable

Adjective

ˌɪndɪˈstɪŋgwɪʃəbəl

not able to be identified as being different

My twin daughters are practically indistinguishable, so I always get their names mixed up!

impede

Verb

ɪmˈpiːd

to make it more difficult for something to happen or be done

A lack of funding has impeded research into the new treatment.

discredit

Verb

dɪsˈkredɪt

to damage the reputation of a person or thing; to cause an explanation, idea, etc. to seem false or not reliable

The rumor was aimed at discrediting the politician.

The research was later discredited when a number of flaws with the methodology were pointed out.

gaslight

Verb

ˈɡæslaɪt

to manipulate someone into questioning their own sanity or ability to reason

He twisted the story of what happened and then gaslighted her by saying she was overreacting.

Exercise 2

Article

Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your tutor.

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Controversial Research Casts Doubt on Long COVID

"My life has literally just stopped."

That's what one person suffering from long COVID told the Lancashire Telegraph in March 2024 — more than three years after she first got COVID-19.

Long COVID, or post-COVID-19, has been recognized by the World Health Organization, with sufferers feeling symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and difficulty with mental focus months after infection.

March 15 was Long COVID Awareness Day. But it was also the day an Australian doctor told the media that the term "long COVID" is "misleading" and "harmful" — because while the symptoms are real, people don't experience them any more frequently than they do for other respiratory viruses.

His comments have angered those who have spent months and years suffering.

The doctor is John Gerrard, the chief health officer of the state of Queensland in Australia. He and his team of researchers surveyed more than 5,000 people who had symptoms of respiratory illness in May and June 2022.

Of the people surveyed, about 2,400 tested positive for COVID, and nearly 1,000 tested positive for influenza. The rest were negative for both, but did have symptoms of some kind of respiratory illness.

A year later, the participants were asked about their symptoms. About 16% said they were suffering ongoing symptoms, with 3.6% saying their daily lives were moderately to severely affected.

And while 3% of those who had had COVID said they were still moderately to severely affected by their symptoms, among those who hadn't had COVID, it was 4%.

"We found that the rates of ongoing symptoms and functional impairment are indistinguishable from other post-viral illnesses," Gerrard said.

In the researchers' opinion, he added, using terms like "long COVID" can cause "unnecessary fear" that might even impede recovery.

However, UK news website The Canary criticized Gerrard, and suggested that the release of the research was intended to "discredit and gaslight" long COVID patients.