Jan 11, 2021 - Health

Study shows more evidence of long-term coronavirus symptoms

A patient.

Photo: Misha Friedman/Getty Images

A new study of coronavirus patients discharged from a hospital in Wuhan, China, found that most participants had at least one symptom six months later, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: The study, published in The Lancet, is a stark reminder that death isn't the only thing to fear from the virus.

Details: Of the 1,733 patients included in the study, more than three-quarters of them had lingering symptoms, including fatigue, insomnia, depression, anxiety or diminished lung function.

  • Exhaustion or muscle weakness was the most common ongoing issue.
  • Although the patients were sick enough to be hospitalized, the vast majority did not need ventilators or high-flow nasal oxygen, meaning they weren't the most severely ill patients.
Go deeper