Clinical characteristics during and after COVID-19 infection among
healthcare workers during the first Wave of Omicron in Chongqing, China
Abstract
Background: Revealing clinical manifestations and associations
of COVID-19 before and after negative transition remains an area of
significant uncertainty. The aim of this study is to investigate
clinical characteristics observed during and after Omicron infection
among healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods: From November 4, 2022
to January 15, 2023, HCWs in our hospital were enrolled to document
clinical symptoms, prevention, and treatment for COVID-19 using
structured questionnaire. Results: Out of the 1101 HCWs
included, SARS-CoV-2 infection was detected in 78.20% (861/1101) during
observation period. Nucleic acid conversion took a median duration of 8
days. Forty-three symptoms were identified during SARS-CoV-2 infection
(11 symptoms per individual). These symptoms can be further categorized
into five groups: fever, upper respiratory tract, influenza, digestive,
and systemic; all showing complex and diverse patterns. Following
SARS-CoV-2 infection, a total of 19 symptoms were recorded including
four newly emerged ones: reduced lung capacity, memory loss, lethargy
and inattention. Importantly, we observed a significant association
between gastrointestinal symptoms during the nucleic acid positive phase
and subsequent neuropsychiatric manifestations after negative
conversion. Conclusions: The clinical manifestations observed
in HCWs during and after Omicron infection displayed intricate patterns,
shedding new light on the complex interplay between SARS-CoV-2 and
human.