COPENHAGEN: As coronavirus transmission rates apparently decline across the European province, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge expressed health concerns over "long-Covid" or "post-Covid" symptoms at a virtual press conference on Thursday.

According to the Xinhua news, “the disability following SARS-CoV-2 infection lingers on for months with severe social, economic, health and occupational consequences," said Hans Kluge, who identified the issue as "a clear priority for WHO, and of the utmost importance."

According to Hans Kluge, a total of 38 million infection cases had been registered in the European Region since the pandemic began, and "one in ten Covid-19 sufferers remain unwell after 12 weeks, and many for much longer."

Professor Martin McKee, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, also speaking at the press conference, provided further insight into "post-Covid" symptoms.

In response to the prevalence of the lingering after-effects of Covid-19, Kluge acknowledged that the WHO had earlier in the month "hosted a consultation on post-Covid-19 conditions, focusing on recognition, research and rehabilitation." In addition, Kluge also confirmed that WHO Europe would soon be convening a conference with the chief medical officers of all 53 countries in the European Region to set out a regional strategy to tackle the issue.

The regional director further emphasized the need for the region's medical authorities to seriously "listen and understand" the sufferers of post-Covid conditions, if they intended to tackle it successfully.

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