40% of COVID Patients Suffer from Lingering Effects

COVID-19 patients suffered from various kinds of lingering symptoms, and the pandemic was also bad for people's health in other ways, studies suggest.

Some 39.9 percent of COVID patients went back to hospital with new symptoms within three months after recovering from the initial infections, according to comparative analysis of 131,928 patients who were infected with COVID, flu or neither by Prof. Chang Tae-ik of the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital.

Compared with uninfected people, COVID patients were at a 7.92 times higher risk of olfactory disorders within three months after recovery. They were also at a 3.63 times higher risk of bronchiectasis, a 3.39 times higher risk of hair loss, and a 3.2 times higher risk of myocarditis.

Compared with flu patients, they were at a 5.28 times higher risk of olfactory disorders, a 3.94 times higher risk of pulmonary embolism, and a 2.85 times higher risk of venous thromboembolism. This suggests that COVID-19 is likely to leave stronger effects than seasonal flu.

Another study also shows that obesity and undernourishment became a serious problem, particularly among teenagers, during the pandemic period.

Some 335,441 people also went to hospital for malnutrition last year, up a whopping 123.9 percent from 2017, suggesting that they ate badly while cooped up at home. The number was up 31.6 percent compared to 2020, when the pandemic started.

Teenagers saw the biggest increase in malnourishment with 181.6 percent over the four years to 13,522.

Conversely, obesity also was a serious problem. Some 30,170 people visited hospitals for obesity last year, up 101.6 percent from 2017. The proportion of obese teenagers increased by a whopping 263.2 percent and that of obese children under 10 by 205.9 percent.

Conversely, obesity also was a serious problem. Some 30,170 people visited hospitals for obesity last year, up 101.6 percent from 2017. The proportion of obese teenagers increased by a whopping 263.2 percent and that of obese children under 10 by 205.9 percent.

"In a recent government survey, many respondents say that they ate more processed food or meal deliveries than before," said the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. "Schools, parents and youngsters themselves should use caution and make proactive efforts to prevent obesity."

Meanwhile, the daily tally of infections dropped for the fourth day running to 81,508 on Friday morning with 206 deaths and 833 serious cases.