Low risk of delayed Covid effects

CORONAVIRUS patients who are not admitted to hospital have a low risk of serious long-term effects, but they could report more visits to a GP in the six months after infection, new research suggests.

According to the six-month study, people who tested positive for the virus and were not admitted to hospital had a slightly increased risk of needing medical treatment for blood clots and breathing difficulties, compared with those who had not been infected. There was also a slightly increased risk of starting medications for breathing difficulties and migraines.

However, the risks of these factors at the individual level remained small, researchers say. Experts assessed the risk of initiating medication and receiving a hospital diagnosis for a new condition by comparing individuals who tested positive for coronavirus with those who had a negative test in Denmark.

Senior author, Professor Anton Pottegard from the University of Southern Denmark, said: “Until now, most research investigating longterm complications from Covid-19 has been focused on hospitalised patients.

“But the reality is that the majority of people with Covid-19 are not admitted to the hospital. Our study finds a very low risk of severe delayed effects from Covid-19 in people who didn’t require hospitalisation for the infection.

“However, our research provided evidence for some long-term effects that did not require hospitalisation or the use of new medicines, which we found reflected in higher use of primary healthcare services after infection.”