26% of COVID-19 patients still symptomatic after 6-8 months

According to a new study, by researchers at the University of Zurich, more than a quarter of COVID-19 patients report being symptomatic 6-8 months after infection

In the study, researchers recruited 431 participants from the general population, using the contact tracing system, who were infected with COVID-19 between February and August 2020.

All the participants completed an online questionnaire about their health within a median of 7.2 months after their diagnosis. Symptoms had been present at diagnosis in 89% of those diagnosed experienced symptoms of COVID-19 and 19% hospitalised.

Long COVID

Overall, 26% of participants reported that they had not fully recovered 6-8 months after their initial COVID-19 diagnosis.

55% reported symptoms of fatigue, 25% had shortness of breath and 26% had symptoms of depression.

A higher percentage of females and hospitalised patients reported not having recovered compared to males and non-hospitalized individuals and a total of 40% had been to visit their general practitioner.

The authors add: “This cohort study based on a respresentative, population-based sample of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals found that 26% did not fully recover within 6-8 months after diagnosis and 40% had at least one further healthcare contact related to COVID-19. These findings underline the need for the timely planning of healthcare resources and services tailored to the needs of individuals suffering from post-COVID-19 syndrome.”

Those full study has been published in the PLOS ONE journal by Milo Puhan and colleagues.