Most Long COVID Patinets Have Symptoms Two Years Later

In a Lancet news release issued yesterday, two years after infection with COVID-19, about half of the patients admitted to the hospital still have at least one symptom, according to the most comprehensive follow-up study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 

In general, patients who recovered from COVID-19 tend to be in poorer health two years after the initial infection compared to the general population, indicating some patients need more time to recover fully.

Regardless of initial disease severity, COVID-19 survivors had longitudinal physical and mental health improvements. Most returned to their original work within two years.

However, the burden of symptomatic sequelae remained relatively high. 

Senior author Bin Cao, M.D., of the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, stated in a press release issued on May 11, 2022, that the results show that some COVID-19 survivors may still need medical attention two years or more after infection.

"There is a clear need to provide continued support to a significant proportion of people who've had COVID-19 and understand how vaccines, emerging treatments, and variants affect long-term health outcomes," he said.

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