70 per cent of Hong Kong Covid victims experience long-term after-effects, survey of 10,000 patients finds

Survey by Chinese University of 10,000 people said to be Asia’s largest study of those with long Covid

Academic says survey shows long Covid is common and more resources needed to tackle its effects

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Chinese University survey finds 70 per cent of coronavirus victims suffer at least one symptom of long Covid. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 5:37pm, 20 Apr 2023Updated: 10:16pm, 20 Apr 2023

About 70 per cent of people in Hong Kong infected with the coronavirus had at least one symptom of long Covid five months after they became ill and one in 10 suffered from reproductive health and menstrual problems, a survey has found.

Researchers at Chinese University released the results on Thursday of what was said to be Asia’s largest examination of long Covid, involving more than 10,000 people in the city, aged from one to 102, who had caught the coronavirus.

Almost all of them – 97 per cent – had been infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Professor Francis Chan Ka-leung, the university’s dean of medicine and director of its Centre for Gut Microbiota Research, said the survey showed long Covid was common and that more resources were needed to tackle its effects.

(From left) Chinese University’s Professor Siew Chien Ng, Professor Francis Chan and Raphaela Iris Lau, a Hong Kong PhD Fellow in the department of medicine and therapeutics. Photo: Handout

“Health education and dissemination of relevant information to the public and healthcare practitioners is essential,” he said. “Stronger support in the primary care system is also needed for referring patients with complex conditions to specialists.”