Research building

Preliminary Results and Publications

Results

A total of 276 participants belonging to 108 HH were enrolled in the study by the end of May 2021. Twenty (7.2%) were excluded since 16 had a false positive RT-PCR test result and 4 were uncompliant. The final study population comprised 256 participants (103 HH), of which 30 (13 HH) were enrolled during the first COVID-19 wave (March-May 2020) and 226 (90 HH) during the second and third waves (October 2020 until May 2021). Of the final study population, 190 participants (74.2%) had a positive RT-PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 by the end of the 21-day acute disease follow-up period. The proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals was fairly similar for both enrolment periods, 73.3% (n=22) for the first wave versus 74.3% (n=168) for the second and third waves. Most individuals (183/190, 96.3%) developed mild to moderate disease while 7 patients were hospitalised between 7-9 days post-infection and one of these died. Most people included in the COVID HOME study did not have other diseases (comorbidities). However, people reported up to 25 different symptoms when they got COVID-19 disease, with about 50% of people reporting 7-15 symptoms.  The most frequent symptoms reported but also those that lasted longer (more than 1 month) were fatigue, lack of smell and taste and dry cough.

Long-term sequelae or Post-COVID Syndrome (PCS), defined as a condition arising in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, usually 3 months from the onset of COVID-19 with symptoms that last for at least 2 months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis (WHO, 2023) . According to this definition, more than 40% of people reported to still having complaints related to COVID-19 at all time points (45·5% (n=112) at 3 months, 43·5% (n=131) at 6 months, 32·5% (n=123) at 12 months, and 27% (n=89) at 18 months). Some people had constant or recurrent (come and go) complaints and some had both types. The most frequent long-lasting symptom was persistent fatigue, reported by around half of the people at 3, 6 and 12 months. The other most frequent long-lasting symptoms were:

  • Mental/neurological symptoms (such as trouble concentrating, memory problems, brain fog)
  • sleep problems
  • shortness of breath
  • headache
  • lack of smell & taste
  • severe fatigue
  • palpitations
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain.

We also found that people that had more symptoms and symptoms lasting longer during the COVID-19 acute disease, were more likely to have Long COVID. 
These results are important to help timely identification of individuals at higher risk of developing PCS and give them support and better treatment.

Publications

  1. Upasani V, Knoester M, Pantano D, Gard L, Smit JM, van der Gun BTF, Tami A, Rodenhuis-Zybert IA (2025). Evaluation of a flow cytometry-based surrogate assay (FlowSA) for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples. Journal of Clinical Virology Plus 5:1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcvp.2025.100204
  2. Vlaming-van Eijk LE, Ertugrul IA, Upasani V, Wold KI, Vincenti-Gonzalez MF, Veloo ACM, Bourgonje AR, Pantano D, Gard L, de Boer G, Niesters HGM, Friedrich AW, Knoester M, van der Gun BTF, Rodenhuis-Zybert IA, Tami A (2024). Temporal Dynamics and (Para)Clinical Factors Associated With (Long) Viral RNA Shedding in COVID-19 Nonhospitalized Individuals - The COVID-HOME Study. J Med Virology: 96(12):e70125. doi: 10.1002/jmv.70125.
  3. Fabbrini M, D'Amico F, van der Gun BTF, Barone M, Conti G, Roggiani S, Wold KI, Vincenti-Gonzalez MF, de Boer GC, Veloo ACM, van der Meer M, Righi E, Gentilotti E, Górska A, Mazzaferri F, Lambertenghi L, Mirandola M, Mongardi M, Tacconelli E, Turroni S, Brigidi P, Tami A (2024). The gut microbiota as an early predictor of COVID-19 severity. mSphere, 9(10):e0018124. doi: 10.1128/msphere.00181-24.
  4. Vlaming-van Eijk LE, Bulthuis MLC, van der Gun BTF, Wold KI, Veloo ACM, Vincenti González MF, de Borst MH, den Dunnen WFA, Hillebrands JL, van Goor H, Tami A, Bourgonje AR. (2024). Systemic oxidative stress associates with the development of post-COVID-19 syndrome in non-hospitalized individuals. Redox Biol, 76:103310. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2024.103310.
  5. Recanatini C, GeurtsvanKessel CH, Pas SD, Broens EM, Maas M, van Mansfeld R, Mutsaers-van Oudheusden AJG, van Rijen M, Schippers EF, Stegeman A, Tami A, Veldkamp KE, Visser H, Voss A, Wegdam-Blans MCA, Wertheim HFL, Wever PC, Koopmans MPG, Kluytmans JAJW, Kluytmans-van den Bergh MFQ; COCON Study Group (2023). Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthcare workers in Dutch hospitals after the 2020 first wave: a multicentre cross-sectional study with prospective follow-up. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2023 Nov 29;12(1):137. Doi: 10.1186/s13756-023-01324-x.
  6. Gentilotti E, Górska A, Tami A, Gusinow R, Mirandola M, Rodríguez Baño J, Palacios Baena ZR, Rossi E, Hasenauer J, Lopes-Rafegas I, Righi E, Caroccia N, Cataudella S, Pasquini Z, Osmo T, Del Piccolo L, Savoldi A, Kumar-Singh S, Mazzaferri F, Caponcello MG, de Boer G, Hara GL; ORCHESTRA Study Group; De Nardo P, Malhotra S, Canziani LM, Ghosn J, Florence AM, Lafhej N, van der Gun BTF, Giannella M, Laouénan C, Tacconelli E (2023). Clinical phenotypes and quality of life to define post-COVID-19 syndrome: a cluster analysis of the multinational, prospective ORCHESTRA cohort. EClinicalMedicine, 21;62:102107. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102107.
  7. Flikweert AW, Kobold ACM, van der Sar-van der Brugge S, Heeringa P, Rodenhuis-Zybert IA, Bijzet J, Tami A, van der Gun BTF, Wold KI, Huckriede A, Franke H, Emmen JMA, Emous M, Grootenboers MJJH, van Meurs M, van der Voort PHJ, Moser J (2023). Circulating adipokine levels and COVID-19 severity in hospitalized patients. Int J Obes. Feb;47(2):126-137. doi: 10.1038/s41366-022-01246-5. Epub 2022 Dec 12
  8. van Eijk LE, Tami A, Hillebrands JL, den Dunnen WFA, de Borst MH, van der Voort PHJ, Bulthuis MLC, Veloo ACM, Wold KI, Vincenti González MF, van der Gun BTF, van Goor H, Bourgonje AR. (2021). Mild Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Is Marked by Systemic Oxidative Stress: A Pilot Study. Antioxidants (Basel). Dec 20;10(12):2022. doi: 10.3390/antiox10122022.
  9. Tami A, van der Gun BTF, Wold KI, Vincenti-González MF, Veloo ACM, Knoester M, Harmsma VPR, de Boer GC, Huckriede ALW, Pantano D, Gard L, Rodenhuis-Zybert IA, Upasani V, Smit J, Dijkstra AE, de Haan JJ, van Elst JM, van den Boogaard J, O' Boyle S, Nacul L, Niesters HGM, Friedrich AW. The COVID HOME study research protocol: Prospective cohort study of non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients. PLoS One. 2022 Nov 3;17(11):e0273599. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273599.