S. Korea to conduct large-scale survey on 'long COVID'

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo presides over a COVID-19 response meeting at the Government Complex Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

The government will conduct a large-scale survey on the long-term effects of COVID-19, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday, as it aims to better analyze the causes of post-infection symptoms, better known as “long COVID.”

“Many people have been suffering from after-effects of COVID-19, but we have not performed much research on this," Han said during a coronavirus response meeting in Seoul. "Based on the results, we will introduce guidelines for the treatment of post COVID-19 conditions."

"Long COVID" refer to the effects of the virus that continue for weeks or months after the initial illness. Common symptoms include fatigue and shortness of breath.

Han added that the government will also launch an advisory committee on infectious disease responses, so that health experts' opinions can be better respected and reflected in government policy.

New daily COVID-19 cases here have been hovering around 10,000 in recent days. (Yonhap)