Scientific brief template

 
• In hospitalized COVID-19 patients, several complications from acute illness have been reported that 
are amenable for rehabilitation. Some result from a thrombotic event (such as ischemic stroke and 
ischemic heart disease), direct viral toxicity (such as myositis and meningitis), or an immune-mediated 
reaction (such as Guillain Barré syndrome). The pooled prevalence estimates from systematic reviews 
on neurological manifestations show that up to one third of individuals (145 634, 89% hospitalized) 
experienced some type of neurological manifestation, and 1 in 50 developed stroke (40–42). Many of 
these lead to impairments including, but not limited to, speech and language problems, swallowing 
problems, muscle weakness, reduced exercise capacity, cognitive decline, and mood disorders.
 
Patients suffering from a critical functional decline will require inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation 
for a duration of weeks to months, and continued follow-up with outpatient rehabilitation services. 
•
Post COVID-19 Condition, with WHO ICD-10 (U09) and ICD-11 (RA02) coding
2
, occurs in individuals 
with a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, usually three months from the onset of 
COVID-19 with symptoms lasting for at least two months, that cannot be explained by an alternative 
diagnosis. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction among 
other, and generally have an impact on everyday functioning. Symptoms may be new-onset following 
initial recovery from an acute COVID-19 episode or persist from the initial illness. Symptoms may also 
fluctuate or relapse over time (55). The condition may occur irrespective of initial disease severity. 
However, the risk may increase across the severity spectrum of the acute infection (non-hospitalized; 
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See: https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/classification-of-diseases/emergency-use-icd-codes-for-covid-19-disease-outbreak.