London, Jan 18: Almost a third of recovered COVID-19 patients end up back in the hospital within five months — and up to one in eight die of complications from the illness.
Researchers at the UK’s Leicester University and the Office for National Statistics found that out of 47,780 people discharged from the hospital, 29.4% were readmitted within 140 days. Of the total, 12.3% succumbed to the illness, it added.
Many people who suffer long-lasting effects of the coronavirus develop heart problems, diabetes and chronic liver and kidney conditions.
“People seem to be going home, getting long-term effects, coming back in and dying. We see nearly 30% have been readmitted, and that’s a lot of people. The numbers are so large,” study author Kamlesh Khunti said.
