Israeli study: 95% of former COVID patients suffer no irreversible damage

A study of 166 recovered COVID-19 patients in Jerusalem finds that 94 percent still report symptoms three months on, notably shortness of breath, though most symptoms disappear within six months.

The research conducted by Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center further finds that 95% of recovered patients do not suffer irreversible respiratory or cardiac damage.

“We can cautiously report that based on our study, the majority of symptoms passed within a period of three to six months,” says Professor Gabriel Izbicki, director of the Pulmonary Institute at Shaare Zedek.

“Almost all the patients we studied after six months reported a marked improvement in their overall conditions and the test results reflected that. We found that regular fitness activities of three to four times a week were direct contributors to helping the patient recover that much more quickly.”

Family members wearing safety gear visit a relative at the coronavirus ward of Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem, on February 3, 2021 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)