144 have completed Covid treatment – 40 on the waiting list

Forty people are on the waiting list in Reykjalundur for treatment of chronic illnesses caused by Covid-19. These requests have been made in the last six months, most of them within three months.

A total of 144 individuals had completed treatment at the institution in May of last year.

According to Stefán Yngvason, the director of the medical practice at Reykjalundur, the treatment was not defined in the institution’s contracts with the Icelandic Health Insurance but it could nonetheless offer it due to restrictions on gathering at the time. The project was completed last year, but resumed last March.

20 in therapy now

A total of 20 people are being treated for the illness now. It is a training program and an education program for three days a week for a total of six weeks.

“The continuation of this treatment has not been decided, but it will be considered once the current treatment group has finished treatment,” Yngvason said when  asked about the treatment.

Since Reykjaludur stopped receiving patients because of the illness last winter, however, more and more requests kept pouring in. “We’ve tried to put them [the people] in our system, but it’s difficult because there are waiting lists in all the teams at the facility, ” reports Yngvason, but Reykjalundur has eight teams.

He points out that people can also apply for treatment for chronic illnesses due to Covid at the Rehabilitation and Health Clinic in Hveragerði.

Need to learn to relax

When asked to describe the symptoms of people with this kind of chronic illness, he cites fatigue, shortness of breath, lack of stamina, brain fog, and musculoskeletal pain as examples. The treatment is, on the one hand, to rebuild people’s endurance and, on the other hand, to teach people to set goals and boundaries.

“With regard to the fatigue and the brain fog, learning to relax is like coping,” says Yngvason, mentioning that it is part of teaching mindfulness.

"People are happy to have the opportunity to work with themselves," he adds.

Everyone improved their stamina

A study was conducted on the endurance training of people in rehabilitation at Reykjalundur rehabilitation center in Covid-19 in the winter of 2021 to 2022. According to its results, all participants significantly improved their endurance in a maximal effort test at the end of the sixth week. Exercise measurements at the beginning and end of the six weeks of treatment showed increased oxygen consumption, increased resistance and respiratory rate.

A six-minute walk test was also used at admission and discharge. It showed improvement in the measurement of the pain and anxiety symptoms that still remained six months after discharge.

Patience is important

Yngvason reports that there were doubts about whether it would be beneficial for patients to be able to endure the treatment, as some were exhausted the next day. “But it’s been a success. People have received psychological support and education and insight into what they can do,” he says, noting how important it is for people to be patient so that they can return to their previous jobs.