Characterization of Post-COVID Syndrome by Self-Perceived Symptom Severity Stratified by Infection Wave: Beyond COVID, A Prospective, Multicenter Cohort Study in Germany

    May 2026 in “ Infection ”
    Alexander Mertens, Judith Smith, Ingmar Bergs, Julia Fischer, S. Jansen, Sven Breitschwerdt, Elisabeth Pracht, Alexander Killer, Lukas Schipper, Nils Kuklik, Mirjam Frank, Julia Schwichtenberg, Siona Bührmann, Lina Zeissler, Michael Dreher, Jürgen Rockstroh, Hana Rohn, Clara Lehmann, Phil-Robin Tepasse, Börge Schmidt, Nico Dragano, J G Bode, Tom Luedde, Björn-Erik-Ole Jensen, for the Beyond COVID Study Group, Smaranda Gliga, Paul Park, Clara de Angelis, Charlotte Flaßhove, Lila Haberl, Alice Kang, J Veelken, Jonel Trebicka, Richard Vollenberg, Christoph Boesecke, Margarethe Konik, Oliver Witzke, Dominik Benke, Sarah Fünger, J J Malin, Sonja Knez, Yasemin Sovic, Julia Wolf
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    TLDR Most people with post-COVID syndrome experience symptoms like fatigue, but Omicron variants cause fewer persistent symptoms.
    The study on post-COVID syndrome (PCS) in Germany involved 1,257 participants, with 13% hospitalized and 87% from the general population. It found that 72% reported at least one persisting symptom, with fatigue (33%), concentration disorders (25%), and dyspnoea (22%) being the most common. The study highlighted that female sex, lower education, and a shorter time between infection and baseline visit were linked to higher symptom persistence and severity. Notably, Omicron variants (BA.1 and BA.2) were associated with lower rates of persistent symptoms and severity. The ongoing study aims to further characterize PCS through long-term follow-up and additional data collection.
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