A latest study by University of Oxford has found that a large number of COVID-19 patients are showing “long COVID syndrome” after recovery which lasts for over a month. As part of the study, the university in the United Kingdom has screened more than 2.7 lakh COVID survivors and found that 37 per cent of them developed one or more “long COVID syndrome”—ranging from breathing issues to muscle pain to psychological issues like depression and anxiety.

Dr Wiqar Shaikh, Professor of Medicine, Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, said that the COVID-19 causative virus is unusual in that it causes prolonged symptoms in survivors, for up to six months after the infection. This phenomenon is called the “long COVID syndrome” and is defined as symptoms affecting different organs lasting for more than four weeks. Dr Shaikh cited the study on “long COVID” published in the journal PLOS on September 28, 2021. 
The study, conducted at the University of Oxford, involved following up with 273,618 COVID-19 survivors for six months and concluded that 37 per cent of recovered patients developed one or more long COVID features.