Situation Report of MPOX in Global and ASEAN Region - 13 July 2023

Global Update

• Worldwide, over 691 million cases and over 6 million deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.

Research Update (Published and peer-reviewed studies)

• Prospective online survey study: Long COVID prevalence and impact on quality of life 2 years after acute COVID-19 (Kim et al., 2023). A study conducted in South Korea between February 13 and March 13, 2020. This study was conducted in adults previously diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of COVID-19, which is often linked to long-term symptoms called long COVID. Long COVID is defined as the continuation or development of new symptoms 3 months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, lasting for at least 2 months without any other explanation. Neuropsychiatric symptoms can persist for more than 6-12 months after acute COVID-19, which is a significant concern due to similarities between brain changes during and after COVID19 and those seen in human neurodegenerative diseases. Long COVID is associated with poor health-related quality of life, both in patients with moderate or severe COVID19 and those with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19. A population-representative survey in the United States reported a high incidence of long COVID within the past 1-6 months. In this study found that 94 (71.2%) of 132 participants experienced symptoms of long COVID, including fatigue, amnesia, concentration difficulties, insomnia, and depression. No significant differences were found in the incidence of long COVID at 24 months in terms of vaccinations received. Although the neuropsychiatric quality of life improved over time, it continued to affect 32.7% of participants. Symptoms of long COVID, particularly neuropsychiatric symptoms, tend to persist over time, and COVID-19 vaccination or vaccination number may not significantly affect the incidence of long COVID.