Tracking COVID-19 Aftereffects for 3 Years... 'Long COVID' Study to Begin Late Next Month

The temporary screening clinic at Seoul Station Plaza last May./Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon]The government has decided to track and observe 10,000 people over more than three years to verify the reality of the aftereffects of COVID-19, known as ‘Long Covid’. The investigation will begin at the end of next month after selecting research and development projects, aiming to identify the patterns of aftereffects, discover risk factors, and establish guidelines for treatment and management.

According to the National Institute of Health under the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 3rd, the institute recently announced a call for proposals for the ‘COVID-19 Aftereffects Investigation Research Project (R&D)’ with these objectives.

The investigation and research will be conducted in three areas: ▲clinical-based research on COVID-19 aftereffects patterns and guidelines ▲big data-based aftereffects research ▲translational research on COVID-19 aftereffects.

The first year will last for five months, and the research for the second to fourth years will be conducted over 12 months each.

For the clinical-based research, a cohort of 10,000 confirmed cases, including children, will be designated, and their COVID-19 aftereffects will be tracked and observed for up to three years.

According to the quarantine authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO), Long Covid is defined as symptoms that begin within three months of the onset of COVID-19, last for at least two months, and cannot be explained by other diagnoses. Generally, over 200 diverse symptoms such as headaches, cognitive decline, fatigue, shortness of breath, hair loss, depression and anxiety, palpitations, menstrual cycle changes, and muscle pain have been reported as symptoms of Long Covid. While many confirmed patients recover from aftereffects in a short period, about 20% of patients are known to experience various symptoms in the medium to long term.

The goal of this research is to analyze the patterns of COVID-19 aftereffects occurrence through observation and investigation over more than three years and to discover risk factors such as underlying diseases that influence the occurrence of aftereffects. Through this, guidelines for managing aftereffects will be established and plans are in place to apply these to future infectious diseases as well.

The institute plans to recruit research institutions by the 11th of this month, then conduct evaluations and reviews, and start the research at the end of next month.