Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in health care workers from South Africa

Abstract

Health care workers (HCWs) are primary health providers therefore ensuring their protection and recovery from Covid-19 is of high interest. We investigated post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) in HCWs who had previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Overall, 68 HCWs were classified as PASC according to duration in days of persisting symptoms. The 68 HCWs with PASC were split into two groups according to their mean duration of symptoms which were (8 PASC) 122 and (60 PASC) 641 days. The frequencies of common symptoms reported by HWCs with PASC were continuous headaches (45), mild cough (41), fatigue (37), myalgia (25) and shortness of breath (14). When Using the Medical Research Council (MRC) Dyspnoea Scale to examine the degree of breathlessness in relations to activity in the 68 out of the 104 HCWs with PASC we found that 4 (5.9%) reported having difficulty breathing after strenuous exercise, 19 (27.9%) were identified with shortness of breath when walking fast or when walking up a slight hill, 2 (3.0%) reported walking slower than most people on level or stopping after 15 minutes walking at own pace, 1 (1.5%) reported stopping to breath after walking 91 meters, or after a few minutes on level ground and 1 (1.5%) reported being too breathless to leave the house, or breathless when dressing/undressing. Our results highlight concern for HCWs with long-term persisting symptoms which may negatively impact their health this represents an emerging public health priority. HCWs with prolonged Covid-19 symptoms especially breathing difficulties need better diagnostic tests and treatments.