‘Half of Wuhan’s hospitalised have health issues a year on’

BEIJING: Around half of the patients hospitalised with Covid-19 in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2020 had health problems including muscle fatigue, shortness of breath and depression 12 months after their discharge, a year-long study has found.

Overall, their health was weaker a year after recovery compared to those who were not infected with the virus, a study published in the medical journal Lancet said on Friday.

The study conducted on recovered patients highlights the lingering impact of Covid-19 in some patients, sometimes lasting for months, though most recover fully.

The study done by Chinese scientists from Beijing and Wuhan assessed health outcomes at six and 12 months for 1,276 Covid-19 patients treated at Jin Yin-Tan hospital in Wuhan between January and May 2020.

The Covid-19 pandemic has so far claimed over 4.47 million lives around the world and infected more than 214 million people, according to the widely followed coronavirus tracker maintained by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

“Though most symptoms had resolved by 12 months, around one half of survivors still experienced at least one ongoing symptom (most commonly fatigue or muscle weakness), and one in three patients still experienced shortness of breath,” the study said.

Meanwhile, a prosecutor has accused Argentine President Alberto Fernandez of violating his own pandemic restrictions decree by joining a dozen other people at his wife’s birthday in July last year. The action by prosecutor Ramiro Gonzalez means Fernández could face a criminal investigation.

New Zealand has extended a national lockdown through Tuesday as it tries to quash its first outbreak in six months. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Friday the government expects to keep Auckland, where most of the coronavirus cases have been found, in full lockdown for at least two more weeks. But, she expects most other parts of the country can ease restrictions Wednesday onwards.