New program
Lauterbach wants to support long-Covid sufferers: the situation is “worse than expected”
Karl Lauterbach (SPD) informs in the federal press conference about “Long-Covid-Initiatives” of the Federal Ministry of Health
© Bernd von Jutrczenka / DPA
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach wants to tackle the growing problem of Long Covid with a new initiative. He expects the number of people affected to increase, but there are still no treatment options.
Paralyzing exhaustion, memory problems, organ damage: numerous people suffer from the long-term consequences of a corona infection. They should get more support from the federal government in the future. Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) presented the first federal program in Berlin on Wednesday Long-Covid sufferers to get more information and better care offers. “We have a task for society as a whole here,” said Lauterbach.
The Minister painted a pessimistic picture of the current situation in the Long Covid area. “The situation is worse than we had hoped for half a year ago,” he said. He was “surprised and disappointed” that the treatment of Long Covid had not made the progress hoped for. In many cases, the prospect of a cure is uncertain.
Three point plan against Long Covid
“Unfortunately, the pandemic is far from over for people with Long Covid,” said Lauterbach. Recent findings indicated “that many sufferers are likely to be permanently affected”. Unfortunately, there are “still no therapy concepts that work”. In addition, it is to be feared that the number of long-Covid sufferers will continue to rise.
Immunology professor Carmen Scheibenbogen from the Berlin Charité warned at the joint press conference that the number of cases would continue to increase. “With Long Covid we are now facing a new dimension,” she said. “Some people are seriously ill for two to three years.” The director of the Marburg University Hospital, Bernhard Schieffer, pointed out the subsequent economic costs: “The economic effects of post-Covid are disastrous.”
Lauterbach’s long-Covid program consists of three points. On Wednesday, his ministry activated a website (www.bmg-longcovid.de) that bundles information on the subject – on advice and support services, on specialized clinics and practices and on the current state of research. Patients, doctors, employers and employees should receive information tailored to their needs.
The second point: Lauterbach’s ministry wants to provide financial support for scientific health care research on Long Covid. Initially, 41 million euros should be made available for this. Lauterbach admitted that he would have initially wished for a financial volume of 100 million euros. “If the budget situation improves, we will try to get the 100 million together,” said Lauterbach. The minister criticized the fact that the pharmaceutical industry has so far done too little research on long-Covid treatments.
infographics
Long Covid symptoms: Which corona late effects occur most frequently in the body
The third part of the package is the convening of a round table, which brings together representatives of the various groups affected by the topic. The content should be the exchange about how to deal with Long Covid. The first meeting is scheduled for September 12, Lauterbach said.
Lauterbach expects more people to be affected
The minister expressed the fear that long-Covid diseases will spread further. It is estimated that between six and 14 percent of those infected developed relevant symptoms – the rate is likely to be somewhat lower for those who have been vaccinated. “We have to assume that many will still contract Long Covid,” he said.
The medical picture is inconsistent: Some of those affected were affected by Long Covid after the first corona infection, others only after a subsequent infection, said Lauterbach. Some suffered permanently from the symptoms, for others Long Covid was only an episode – with them too, the Long Covid symptoms could return after a phase of recovery and in some cases even worsen.
The immunologist disc arch called for more research and medical studies on the subject of Long Covid. “To date, doctors have little knowledge of how to treat this disease,” she said. The 41 million euros that have now been made available “could only be a start”, emphasized disc arch. “In particular, we cannot heal the seriously ill with it.” To date, there are no approved drugs.
The new range of information from the Federal Ministry of Health is also expressly aimed at people who have suffered from the consequential damage of a corona vaccination. The Marburg clinic boss Schieffer warned against stigmatizing these cases. “We must not turn a blind eye to things that make us uncomfortable,” he said. This includes the occurrence of vaccination damage caused by corona vaccines.