Lung specialist Dr Helmy Haja Mydin of Pantai Hospital KL shares what to know about Covid-19 aftercare at home and symptoms to look out for
According to a statement by Malaysian health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, individuals with Covid-19 who are asymptomatic (Category 1) or with mild symptoms (Category 2A) may undergo home quarantine and are not required to visit a Covid-19 Assessment Centre (CAC). At home, they are required to update their health status twice a day (before 12pm and 6pm) using the Health Assessment Tool on the MySejahtera app.
Do Covid-19 symptoms remain even after a patient has recovered? What exactly is Long Covid and what changes should one be prepared for when recovering from Covid-19?
As daily Covid-19 cases increase in the country with more people than ever waiting out their recovery in home quarantine, Tatler speaks with respiratory physician and Generation T 2019 honouree Dr Helmy Haja Mydin, head of Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur’s Lung Centre, on common symptoms to know and what steps to take to improve the health of your lungs after recovering from this disease.
"The vast majority of patients fully recover within weeks of the illness, especially those who have been fully vaccinated and boosted," shares Helmy, who was recently appointed as a technical advisor to the Ministry of Health. "The risk of prolonged symptoms is higher amongst those who have had Category 4 or 5 Covid-19 and in those who have poorly-controlled co-morbidities. These may include symptoms of fatigue, chest tightness and difficulty breathing. It is more pronounced if the experience with Covid-19 had left the patient with lung fibrosis or scarring," he adds.
What exactly is Long Covid?
Helmy: Long Covid Syndrome is not fully understood. Although it is often described as symptoms that continue for more than 12 weeks after a Covid-19 infection which cannot be explained by another cause, the lack of an internationally-agreed definition makes it difficult to grasp the extent to which it affects society. There is no specific test for it, nor is there a specific cause that we know of.
