COVID-19 Symptoms in Acute and Post-quarantine Period in Japanese Patients Treated at Home or Quarantine Facilities: A Web-based Questionnaire Survey

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Infection Prevention and Control Vol. 39; no. 6; pp. 233 - 240
• Main Authors: YAMATO, Masaya, TAJIMA, Ryotaro, ITO, Genta, TANAKA, Shintaro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control 25.11.2024
• Subjects: COVID-19; presence or absence of risk factors; web survey
• ISSN: 1882-532X; 1883-2407
• DOI: 10.4058/jsei.39.233

Research on the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has predominantly focused on hospitalized patients. However, patients without risk factors for severe disease were frequently not hospitalized and remained at home during the isolation period. Therefore, a cross-sectional study using a web survey was conducted with the aim of analyzing the symptoms of non-hospitalized patients.Study subjects were Japanese subjects ≥16 years of age and who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between April and August 2022 and received treatment at home or in quarantine facilities. Subjects were included in either an at risk of severe disease ("risk") group or a not at risk of severe disease ("no-risk") group, based on responses to a questionnaire. For each group, symptoms and their effects on daily life during and after the isolation period were evaluated.A total of 1,000 Subjects were enrolled in each group. No major differences were observed in subject symptoms experienced in the two groups during and after treatment and in the proportion of subjects who answered that each symptom was painful. In the "risk" and "no-risk" groups, 52.8% and 47.1%, respectively, of subjects experienced symptoms that persisted beyond the isolation period. In addition, approximately 80% of the subjects responded that early symptom resolution, early cessation of infectious virus shedding, and early negativity of virus infection were important. The results of this study revealed that treatment to reduce subjective symptoms should be considered for patients treated at home or in residential care facilities regardless of their risk factors of severe disease and that a high need is observed to prevent transmission to others.