Prevalence and Characteristics of Long COVID 7-12 Months After Hospitalization Among Patients From an Urban Safety-Net Hospital: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: Little is known about the burden of long COVID among Black and Hispanic patients in the U.S. We surveyed adult patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at John H. Roger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, a safety-net hospital predominantly serving Black and Hispanic patients in Chicago, for persistent symptoms after hospitalization to assess prevalence and identify risk factors. Methods: Cross-sectional data were obtained over 6 months after discharge from patients hospitalized at John H. Roger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 between October 1, 2020 and January 12, 2021. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the associations between patient characteristics and symptom persistence. Results: Of 145 patients surveyed at a median follow-up period of 255 days (IQR=238-302), 80% were Black or Hispanic, and 50 (34%) reported at least 1 symptom. In multivariable logistic regression, the risk of long COVID was associated with the severity of acute COVID-19 illness, consistent with findings from population-based cohort studies. Conclusions: Long COVID prevalence remains high 7 months to a year after an initial illness in a majority Black and Hispanic hospitalized cohort. There is a long-term and ongoing need to assess and address the burden of long COVID, especially among minority communities disproportionately affected by acute COVID-19.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Long COVID Seven to Twelve Months After Hospitalization Among Patients from an Urban Safety-Net Hospital: A Pilot Study

Introduction Little is known about the burden of long COVID among Black and Hispanic patients in the United States. We surveyed adult patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at Stroger Hospital of Cook County, a safety-net hospital predominantly serving Black and Hispanic patients in Chicago, for persistent symptoms after hospitalization to assess prevalence and identify risk factors. Methods Cross-sectional data was obtained over six months post-discharge from patients hospitalized at Stroger Hospital of Cook County who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 between October 1, 2020 and January 12, 2021. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze associations between patient characteristics and symptom persistence. Results Out of 145 patients surveyed at a median follow-up period of 255 days (IQR: 238-302), 80% were Black or Hispanic and 50 (34%) reported at least one symptom. In multivariable logistic regression, risk of long COVID was associated with severity of acute COVID-19 illness, consistent with population-based cohort studies. Conclusion Long COVID prevalence remains high seven months to a year after initial illness in a majority Black and Hispanic hospitalized cohort. There is a long-term and ongoing need to assess and address the burden of long COVID, especially among minority communities disproportionately affected by acute COVID-19.