Ten hospitals in Taipei have each opened a special clinic to treat people with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday.
People with COVID-19 usually experience symptoms only in the acute phase and recover four weeks after the onset of symptoms, Taipei Department of Health Senior Executive Officer Ou Chia-ling (歐佳齡) said.
However, about 10 percent might have persistent symptoms that last for more than three months, including fatigue, difficulty breathing, insomnia, loss of smell or taste, anxiety, chronic coughing, depression and a decline in their quality of life, she said, adding that the condition is known as post-acute COVID-19 syndrome.
Graphic courtesy of the Taipei City Government Department of Health
To help improve the long-term mental and physical health of people with COVID-19, the department has coordinated with the hospitals to establish special clinics to treat post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, Ou said.
The hospitals are Taipei City Hospital’s Zhongxing, Renai, Heping, Zhongxiao and Yangming branches; National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH); Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH); Tri-Service General Hospital; Mackay Memorial Hospital and Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital.
The clinics have specialists in infectious diseases, thoracic medicine, psychiatry and rehabilitation, Ou said.
While a physician can diagnose a person’s physiological condition, a psychologist can also be involved in counseling, and social workers can assess the patients’ psychosocial needs and offer help in accessing social resources, she said.
Taipei City Hospital Songde Branch chief medical officer Liu Hsing-cheng (劉興政) said a post-acute COVID-19 recovery clinic was established in each of Taipei City Hospital’s five branches in August, treating about 100 people so far.
Thirty-six percent of them, mostly women, were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and many had anxiety and depression.
NTUH has treated more than 500 COVID-19 patients, 15 percent of whom needed long-term follow-up visits, NTUH Center for Infection Control deputy director Pan Sung-ching (盤松青) said, adding that most of them experienced prolonged respiratory symptoms or emotional distress.
TVGH Department of Chest Medicine director Feng Jia-yih (馮嘉毅) said that most people with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome have symptoms that are not limited to pulmonary disorders, but affect multiple organ systems.
TVGH holds two clinic sessions per week, with physicians from different departments taking turns consulting with patients and referring them to specific departments for follow-up treatment, he said.
The department said people who had been infected with COVID-19 and still experience symptoms can seek consultation and treatment at the hospitals, or call the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s 1925 consultation hotline or the department’s disease prevention hotline at (02) 2375-3782.
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