Table 2.
Prevalence of acute and post-COVID-19 symptoms reported by 1873 participants at 1 month and 3 months after discharge from hospital, South Africa
| Acute*COVID-19 | 1 month follow-up | 3 months follow-up | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No symptoms | 201 (10·7%) | 370 (19·8%) | 624 (33·3%) |
| Fatigue or malaise | 1063 (56·8%) | 1226 (65·5%) | 942 (50·3%) |
| Shortness of breath | 942 (50·3%) | 864 (46·1%) | 439 (23·4%) |
| Confusion or lack of concentration | NR | 318 (17·0%) | 327 (17·5%) |
| Headache | 696 (37·2%) | 406 (21·7%) | 258 (13·8%) |
| Problems seeing or blurred vision | NR | 224 (12·0%) | 190 (10·1%) |
| Joint pain (arthralgia) | 656 (35·0%) | 145 (7·7%) | 175 (9·3%) |
| Muscle aches (myalgia) | 40 (2·1%) | 198 (10·6%) | 156 (8·3%) |
| Any other symptoms | 170 (9·1%) | 148 (7·9%) | 149 (8·0%) |
| Chest pain | 475 (25·4%) | 280 (14·9%) | 132 (7·0%) |
| Dizziness or light-headedness | 45 (2·4%) | 222 (11·9%) | 116 (6·2%) |
| Dry cough | 849 (45·3%) | 276 (14·7%) | 78 (4·2%) |
| Loss of taste | 111 (5·9%) | 162 (8·6%) | 51 (2·7%) |
| Abdominal pain | 154 (8·2%) | 97 (5·2%) | 44 (2·3%) |
| Loss of smell | 153 (8·2%) | 123 (6·6%) | 44 (2·3%) |
| Back pain or backache | 33 (1·8%) | 34 (1·8%) | 43 (2·3%) |
| Cough with sputum | 161 (8·6%) | 94 (5·0%) | 40 (2·1%) |
| Diarrhoea | 293 (15·6%) | 73 (3·9%) | 38 (2·0%) |
| Skin rash | 54 (2·9%) | 73 (3·9%) | 35 (1·9%) |
| Fever | 866 (46·2%) | 43 (2·3%) | 29 (1·5%) |
| Nausea or vomiting | 240 (12·8%) | 43 (2·3%) | 25 (1·3%) |
| Nasal congestion or sinusitis | 21 (1·1%) | 9 (0·5%) | 17 (0·9%) |
| Bleeding | 29 (1·5%) | 24 (1·3%) | 11 (0·6%) |
| Loss of appetite or anorexia | 429 (22·9%) | 12 (0·6%) | 10 (0·5%) |
| Body pain or body ache | 15 (0·8%) | 0 | 2 (0·1%) |
| Seizures | 16 (0·9%) | 4 (0·2%) | 2 (0·1%) |
Data are n (%). NR=not reported.
*
Symptoms reported before hospital admission, upon admission, or both, irrespective of the reason for admission.