Nearly half of COVID-19 patients haven’t fully recovered months later, study finds

One in 20 people who have had COVID-19 reported they have not recovered at all from the virus, according to a study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications.

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Another quarter of those in the study said they were still feeling sick in some way months after they contracted COVID-19, The New York Times reported.

The study included thousands of people in Scotland and was aimed at trying to determine the long-term risks of the COVID-19 virus.

According to the study, people who have had a COVID-19 infection reported persistent symptoms, such as breathlessness, palpitations and confusion or difficulty concentrating.

More than 20 symptoms were reported by those included in the study, and the participants said the symptoms were present six to 18 months after they had the infection.

According to researchers, people who had a severe COVID-19 case were at higher risk of long-term health issues.

Dr. Jill Pell, a professor of public health at the University of Glasgow who led the research, said the findings reinforced the importance of offering expanded help for those with long COVID-19 infections.

“It told us that COVID can appear differently in different individuals, and it can have more than one impact on your life,” Pell said. “Any approach to supporting people has to be, firstly, personalized and also holistic. The answer doesn’t just lie within the health care sector.”

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