The government wants Continuing and intensifying the measures taken to deal with Covid in the long term The Council of Ministers, headed by Oliver Ferrand, announced on Thursday (17 March), the assignment of a group of experts to develop a road map.
Two years after the emergence of the Covid-19 virus, information is becoming clearer regarding the prolonged forms of Covid, which should provide relief for the many people who, several months after infection, are still showing symptoms of the disease.
The definition of Long Covid is ” compound ‘,” admits the Ministry of Health, which begins by explaining that it is closer to Syndrome “from to” Illness “.
Its symptoms can be multiple: extreme fatigue, heart rate problems, concentration disorders, nervous system malfunctions, memory loss or even dizziness and ringing in the ears.
Long Covid is also defined by its duration: a person who develops symptoms one month after contracting Covid is not considered to have had Covid for a long time. corn, ” qWhen you have more than three months of symptoms, you can be considered to have COVID-19g,” says the health minister’s office.
To fight COVID-19, Olivier Veran presented a three-pronged roadmap: improving patient care, better understanding the disease, and making information more accessible to clinicians and patients.
Because long-term Covid syndromes are difficult to live with on a daily basis. “ It is fickle, and there are setbacks. It can be very disabling Pauline Osterek, president of the Post-J20 Covid Patients Association, adds: “Especially at the work or study level.
That is why, according to a group head after J20, we need support” Personal, multidisciplinary and in all areas «Double a search is a must-have» Honest and open to understanding patients’ needs “.
In France, the number of people infected with the long-term Covid disease is estimated at 700,000, even if ” It is very difficult to give exact numbers He wishes to clarify the ministry, before adding that Figures will be revised in April “.
Among them, 70,000 patients require special care, because they introduce the concept of the disabling nature of the disease on a daily basis.
Twenty million to build patient networks
In order to better care for patients with protracted COVID-19, twenty million euros will be invested over the next three years to develop and build patient networks. Total “ very flexible” According to the government, financed by the Regional Investment Fund (FIR), which “ can be amplified “.
The roadmap also includes a pediatric component of patient care. In fact, 2 to 5% of children who come into contact with the virus can be infected with some form of the protracted COVID-19 disease, according to figures released by the ministry, which nonetheless specifies that the latter suffers in general.” less sequelae “Adults.
The government wants to be France.” A grid of these coordination cells “. A digital patient referral platform, available to clinicians and patients, will coordinate the Post-Covid Coordination Units.
The group of experts who will work on the new roadmap also wants to make information more accessible, whether for health professionals, patient associations or for patients. In this sense, the expert caregivers of the Covid Long Program as well as patients who may be co-actor in the care pathways” He will be trained. These actions will also be accompanied by a media campaign.
Finally, to increase knowledge of the disease, an additional ten million euros will be invested in research. ” The exchange of information on an international scale will be essential. Work is already underway at the French level and at the level of the World Health Organization (WHO)The work of the office of the Minister of Health concludes.
