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The International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC), based at Oxford University, in collaboration with Dr Janet Scott, of the MRC-University of Glasgow’s Centre for Virus Research, has launched a longitudinal observational study to measure prevalence and risk factors of long-term health and psychosocial consequences of COVID-19. The researchers are inviting hospitals and healthcare sites worldwide to join this new study.

Doctors wearing full PPE in a hospital setting

The ISARIC Global COVID-19 follow-up working group is co-led by Dr Louise Sigfrid, of the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford. The study protocol and associated patient survey has been developed in collaboration with clinicians and research colleagues from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Ghana, Italy, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone and a wide range of experts in infectious diseases, rheumatology, neurology, intensive care, oncology, public health, psychology and rehabilitation. The patient survey has been designed to assess long-term health and psychosocial consequences of COVID-19 at serial intervals for up to three to five years, depending on resources.

Louise Sigfrid (ISARIC/ University of Oxford) said, 'Currently, very little is known about possible clinical and psychosocial sequelae that may persist in patients after recovering from acute COVID-19. A recent study from Italy of 143 patients after hospitalisation with COVID-19, showed that 87% had at least one ongoing symptom after 60 days. It will be interesting to see what results come from larger groups of patients from different populations.'

The full story is available on the University of Oxford website