“Post-COVID-19 syndrome:” The New Pandemic Affecting Healthcare Workers and How the Frontline Warriors Are Battling it

OBJECTIVES: “Post-COVID-19 syndrome,” which may be the new pandemic, has affected various domains of quality of life; even among those who have recovered from mild COVID-19 disease. The aim of our study was to explore the health, social and psychological impact on healthcare workers (HCWs) who have recovered from active COVID-19 illness and highlight their needs post-recovery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a web-based survey study. A total of 163 eligible consenting HCWs participated in this survey. The Institutional Ethical Committee approval was obtained before study recruitment and the study was registered with the Clinical Trial Registry of India. Each participant responded to 25 questions. RESULTS: Among those participated, 51% were doctors, 32% were nurses and others were allied health professionals and students. About 82% had mild COVID-19 illness and 40% required hospitalisation for COVID-19 treatment. In the post-recovery period, 66% experienced health issues and fatigue on mild exertion was the most common symptom (42.94%). It was followed by anosmia and ageusia (21.47%), headache and myalgia (15.34%) and breathlessness (8.59%). About 82% HCW felt the need for a post-COVID-19 recovery health care unit. Potential risk of infecting family members was the most common concern (53.46%) followed by the fear of contracting the virus again (46.54%). About 35% of HCW experienced the fear of developing post-COVID-19 complications. About 78% of HCW did not report any psychological concerns, but one-third were stressed due to the financial impact. CONCLUSION: Post-COVID-19 syndrome impacts all domains of quality of life. Fatigue, loss of taste and smell, headache, myalgia and breathlessness continue to persist beyond recovery of active illness. Most of the HCWs emphasised the need to set up post-COVID-19 care units. The fear of contracting the virus again and financial drain due to hospital expenses continued to distress HCWs.