One year after discharge, patients with COVID were shown to have issues with fatigue, shortness of breath, and mental health

At 30 to 60 days after discharge, participants in the National Clinical Registry of Covid-19 who were monitored for a year experienced dyspnea or shortness of breath (18.6%), weariness (10.5%), and mental health difficulties (9.3%).

Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health, stated in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved studies on post-Covid sequelae to investigate the possibility of a study of the association of serious complications and coronavirus infection as part of the Covid registry.

Dyspnea, weariness, and mental health difficulties were noted by 18.6%, 10.5%, and 9.3% of the 8,042 participants at the first follow-up 30–60 days after discharge, respectively, in the National Clinical Registry of Covid-19 patients who were followed for a year, according to ICMR.

Among 2,192 individuals, it was decreased to 11.9%, 6.6%, and 9.0%, respectively, at the one-year follow-up, according to Pawar. She said that according to a preliminary analysis of the data conducted by the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), an independent organisation housed within the Department of Biotechnology, 2% of the participants have reported the emergence of new symptoms like diabetes and hypertension.

Nationally comprehensive recommendations for the treatment of post-Covid sequelae have been released by the Union Ministry of Health. The recommendations include comprehensive advice on typical presenting symptoms, systemic problems, necessary tests, other differential diagnoses, and clinical treatments.

For healthcare professionals working in public and commercial health institutions at the state and district levels, the Health Ministry has organised a series of webinars on Covid-19 clinical management-related topics, including treatment of post-Covid problems.

These webinars were presented in partnership with the Indian Medical Association, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and other state-level centres of excellence.

To track clinical care and results for Covid-19, the ICMR has set up a Covid clinical registry throughout the nation. Only hospitalised individuals are eligible for this information. Many illnesses including aortic and lung inflammation, mucormycosis, etc. have been the subject of post-Covid investigations.

Pawar said that while health is a state responsibility, the Indian government has recommended the states to set up post-Covid clinics at their respective relevant health facilities to meet the requirements of persons suffering from a variety of post-coronavirus illnesses.