"Don't Be Fooled by the Word 'Fully Recovered'... Feeling Foggy Like in a Mist" COVID-19 Survivors Complain of Aftereffects

On the 16th, Professor Park Hyun (Busan patient No. 47), who was declared recovered from the novel coronavirus infection, expressed his complaints about aftereffects through Facebook. Photo by Busan47 Facebook post capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Amid the rapid resurgence of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), Professor Park Hyun of Pusan National University (Busan case number 47), who was declared fully recovered from COVID-19 last March, is raising awareness by reporting severe aftereffects.

On the 16th, Professor Park posted on the Busan 47 Facebook account, "It has been 165 days since I was declared fully recovered and discharged. I continue to experience brain fog, feeling as if my head is clouded, with difficulty remembering and concentrating," adding, "Other symptoms such as chest pain have worsened to the point where I am unable to do anything, and forgetting what I just did or was about to do is very common."

He continued, "I can't even remember if I just took my vitamin pills, and even when I open Google to look something up, I forget what I was trying to find," explaining, "There are reports from the media in the United States, China, and the United Kingdom that many recovered patients suffer from neurological aftereffects."

He also complained of aftereffects, saying, "I still have abdominal pain and persistent heartburn symptoms, especially occasional pain in the lower right abdomen where the appendix is located," and "Although the dark reddish discoloration of my skin has improved significantly, my skin sometimes suddenly turns purple, and purple spots appear on my skin."

He added, "Chronic fatigue has improved compared to before, but it still fluctuates between good and bad."

Professor Park pointed out the lack of mask-wearing, saying, "On days when I feel well, I try to manage my stamina with a one-hour walk, but even these days, quite a few people go out for walks without wearing masks," and "There are at least one or two people every day who walk right past me without masks, chatting loudly on the phone."

He emphasized awareness, stating, "I think many people still take it lightly, unaware that many recovered patients suffer from medium- and long-term aftereffects despite being called 'fully recovered.'"

Meanwhile, Professor Park was teaching at Ramon y Cajal University in Barcelona, Spain, and returned to Korea via the United States in February for a special lecture at Pusan National University. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 on February 25 and was declared fully recovered and discharged on March 7. After discharge, he created the 'Busan47' Facebook page to document his recovery process.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.