More than 11 million people who have been infected by the Covid-19 virus still face persistent symptoms of the disease. The data comes from a survey presented this Wednesday (18) by the Ministry of Health.
According to the survey, around 28% of the Brazilian population – approximately 60 million people – claimed to have contracted Covid-19 at least once. Of these, 18.9% report dealing with post-Covid symptoms.
According to the report, women and indigenous people are most affected by persistent symptoms. The most frequent symptoms are linked to mental health, they are:
- Anxiety (33.1%);
- Fatigue (25.9%),
- Difficulty concentrating (16.9%);
- Memory loss (12.7%)
The data reinforces that, even after the most critical period of the pandemic, Covid-19 continues to impact the health and quality of life of Brazilians. “The impacts of the pandemic are large and lasting for the Brazilian population”, states the research.
Inequality
The research also showed the worsening of social inequalities in Brazil after the pandemic. Among those interviewed:
- 48.6% reported a reduction in income;
- 47.4% experienced food insecurity;
- 34.9% lost their jobs;
- 21.5% stopped studying;
- 15% lost a family member to Covid-19
According to the research, the data showed that these impacts were more severe among people with lower income and households headed by women.
Vaccination
According to the survey, vaccination against Covid-19 was adhered to by 90.2% of respondents, who received at least one dose. 84.6% completed the two-dose vaccination schedule.
The Southeast region had the highest vaccination coverage rates, especially among the elderly, women and people with higher education and income.
However, confidence in the vaccine still divides opinions:
- 57.6% said they trust the vaccine;
- 27.3% do not believe in the effectiveness of immunization, with a higher prevalence among low-income people;
- 15.1% said they were indifferent to the topic
Among people who were not vaccinated, the main reasons given were:
- 32.4% Disbelief in the vaccine
- 31% Fear of side effects
- 2.5% Did not take it, as they said they had already caught Covid;
- 1.7% Impairing health conditions
- 0.5% said they did not believe in the existence of the virus
One of the aspects that caught the researchers’ attention was the fact that 2.5% of those interviewed did not take the vaccine due to the false belief that contracting Covid-19 would confer permanent immunity against the disease.
Given these data, the Ministry of Health intends to intensify awareness actions to demystify this information and reinforce the importance of vaccination as an essential measure for collective protection.
How the research was done
The study, entitled “Epicovid 2.0: national survey to assess the real dimension of the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil”, was conducted by the Ministry of Health in partnership with several research institutions, such as the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel) and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).
Carried out in 133 Brazilian cities, the survey interviewed 33,250 people, selected at random, focusing on the history of infections, socioeconomic impacts, vaccination and post-covid conditions.
The research is a continuation of a survey started in 2020 and reinforces that the impacts of the pandemic are profound and lasting, with amplified effects among the most vulnerable populations.
This content was originally published in More than 11 million Brazilians report persistent symptoms after Covid-19 on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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