TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Six hospitals in Taipei have launched special clinics to treat people who suffer from post-COVID-19 conditions, also known as long COVID or chronic COVID.
The medical institutions offering the service include the five branches of Taipei City Hospital (Zhongxing, Renai, Heping, Zhongxiao, and Yangming), National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Tri-Service General Hospital, Mackay Memorial Hospital, and Wanfang Hospital.
Some patients, even asymptomatic ones, experience post-COVID conditions four or more weeks after infection. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, fatigue, brain fog, chest or stomach pain, fever, and muscle pain, among others, and people may exhibit autoimmune conditions that affect various organs, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The special clinics at the above-mentioned hospitals incorporate expertise in infectious disease, thoracic medicine, psychiatry, and rehabilitation, helping patients examine their conditions in a holistic approach, said the city’s health department.
About 30% of the 100 individuals seeking intervention for long COVID at Taipei City Hospital (TCH) since August have been found to suffer from anxiety or depression to a certain degree. Females outnumbered males, with some having developed posttraumatic stress disorder, CNA cited a TCH official as saying.
The NTUH Center for Infection Control pointed out that approximately 15% of the 500 COVID patients admitted to the hospital have required follow-up treatment, mostly related to respiratory symptoms or mood swings.
