“I used to give speeches at political rallies, but now I can’t even say more than two or three sentences as I have been wheezing almost every day,” the assemblywoman for Sabai in Bentong, Pahang, told the Singapore Straits Times in an interview.
She also has sleeping problems because of back pain, aside from having phobia about not being able to breathe if she were to fall asleep.
Kamache contracted Covid-19 in January. She is one of the many Covid-19 patients who recovered from the virus and is now suffering from long-haul Covid-19, or Long Covid.
Calling it a nightmare, she said her health was affecting her busy schedule, carrying out her responsibilities to her constituents. However, she has since recovered sufficiently to allow her to go back to her daily routine.
Education consultant Sue Azni, 47, found herself suffering from health problems after catching Covid-19 last month.
Now, she has been referred to a neurologist after a cognitive test showed some problems with her understanding and thinking.
“I am on medical leave. I can’t cope with all my work duties, I am not fit enough yet,” she told the daily. Sue also suffers from fatigue, difficulty in breathing, brain fog, headache, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, chest pain and rashes.
Earlier this month, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah revealed that 66% of category 4 and 5 Covid-19 patients suffered from Long Covid.
Long Covid is a condition whereby a former Covid-19 patient still shows signs and symptoms for a period of up to 12 weeks or more. The symptoms cannot be explained by any alternative diagnosis.
“This condition results from a complication of Covid-19 infection in the function of various organs in an individual’s body,” Noor Hisham had said.
Associate Prof Dr Malina Osman, who is an epidemiologist at Universiti Putra Malaysia, said the most common symptoms of Long Covid included fatigue, dyspnoea (shortness of breath), joint pain and chest pain.
Other symptoms included psychological distress such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, as well as concentration and sleep abnormalities.
She warned that the actual figures on the number of Long Covid sufferers may be even higher than the official statistics, adding that some patients may not have gone to government hospitals for treatment.
She said this gives rise to a host of challenges for future chronic management of Covid-19 infection as it is believed the condition can last for more than a year.
“We have had more than 700,000 cases and some of those who survived may have these complications. Therefore, we have to anticipate these issues to offer better care for those affected, particularly if they have underlying chronic disorders as well.”
Malaysia has been battling a worsening Covid-19 situation with more than 4,000 new cases daily over the last few weeks.
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