How Covid-19 is disrupting the lives of former patients

Covid-19 not only leaves its mark on health, it also turns our lives upside down. In a study published November 11, 2020 in Annals of internal medicine, researchers at the University of Michigan have noted all aspects of our life that have been interrupted by Covid-19.

A suffering beyond the physical

To understand what has changed Covid-19 in the lives of the people who have contracted it, they have 488 surviving patients of Covid-19, about two months after being discharged from the hospital. Within two months of hospital discharge, nearly 7% of patients died and more than 10% were treated in an intensive care unit.

“These data suggest that the burden of COVID-19 extends far beyond the hospital and well beyond healthsays Vineet Chopra, lead author of the study and head of the department at the University of Michigan Medical Center. The mental, financial and physical consequences of this disease on survivors appear to be considerable. “

More than 39% of patients surveyed said they did not return to normal activities two months after leaving the hospital. At the same time, 12% of patients said they were no longer able to provide basic care on their own. Nearly 23% of patients said they gasped just as they climbed stairs, and a third of them had permanent symptoms of Covid-19, such as loss of taste or smell.

Heavy repercussions on their lives

Among the people who had a job before the Covid-19 crisis, 40% think they cannot return to work, both because in the meantime they have been fired, and because the health problems caused by the coronavirus are too important. Nearly 10% of respondents say they have used most or all of their savings and 7% said they have started rationing food, heat and medicine due to cost.