Even when it’s over, it ain’t over.

Why might even those highly unlikely to die from COVID-19 still choose vaccination? Besides the whole for the good of your fellow (wo)man thing, consider this cohort of 1733 patients (median age 57) discharged from a Wuhan hospital evaluated at a median of 6 months after symptom onset of COVID-19. Overall, 63% reported muscle weakness or fatigue, 26% had sleep difficulties, and 23% had anxiety or depression. Patients with the most severe illness during hospitalization were more likely to have symptoms 6 months later. Among those who underwent lung function tests at follow-up, prevalence of lung diffusion impairment ranged from 22% among those with the least severe illness to 56% among those with the most severe (i.e. required supplemental oxygen via high-flow nasal cannula or ventilation). Perhaps more surprising, 13% of patients with normal eGFR during admission developed decreased eGFR. TBL: Three quarters of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 report at least one persistent symptom at 6 months, many with ongoing objective impairments in lung and renal function. | Huang, Lancet 2021