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. 2023 Oct 6;5(40):894-899.
doi: 10.46234/ccdcw2023.170.

The Long-Term Impacts of COVID-19 on Physical and Psychological Health - Beijing Municipality, China, December 2022-April 2023

Tian Tian  1   2   3   4   5 , Chuan Yang  6 , Xiaoyu Long  1   2   3   4   5 , Fei Kong  1   2   3   4   5 , Yu Fu  1   2   3   4   5 , Fang Liu  1   2   3   4   5 , Ling Tuo  7 , Xiujun Guo  8 , Lei Li  8 , Xingxing Zhao  8 , Qun Wang  9 , Guangti Yuan  10 , Huiqing Wang  6 , Yuanyuan Wang  1   2   3   4   5 , Jie Qiao  1   2   3   4   5   11   12
Affiliations

The Long-Term Impacts of COVID-19 on Physical and Psychological Health - Beijing Municipality, China, December 2022-April 2023

Tian Tian et al. China CDC Wkly. .

Abstract

What is already known about this topic?: Reports detailing the clinical presentation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are extensive in China. However, data remains limited regarding the long-term effects of the 2022 outbreak on the community and healthcare workers (HCWs).

What is added by this report?: In the follow-up study conducted with 1,069 community members and 3,309 HCWs infected with COVID-19, we observed that five months post-outbreak, 39.2% of community members and 28.7% of HCWs reported experiencing at least one symptom. The symptoms most frequently reported included fatigue or muscle weakness, insomnia, cognitive dysfunction, hair loss, joint or muscle pain, and persistent cough. HCWs tended to experience fewer long-term physical consequences and their symptoms had an expedited recovery time compared to the community members. Nevertheless, HCWs displayed a higher prevalence of moderate to severe depression and anxiety.

What are the implications for public health practice?: The establishment of a public healthcare system dedicated to continual monitoring, prevention, and clinical treatment of persistent COVID-19 symptoms is imperative.

Keywords: Long COVID19; cohorts; physical effects; psychological effect.

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Conflict of interest statement

No conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Duration of recovery for the community population and HCWs — Beijing Municipality, China, December 2022–April 2023. (A) The overall recovery duration among HCWs and the general population. (B) The median recovery duration for each symptom was also determined.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of psychological consequences among the general population and HCWs during the first and second follow-up periods — Beijing Municipality, China, December 2022–April 2023.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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