ONE in eight of recovered Covid-19 patients die within 140 days after being readmitted to hospital, a study has found.
Out of 47,780 people discharged from hospital in the first wave, 29.4 per cent returned within 140 days and 12.3 per cent of them died, according to research from Leicester University and the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
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The long-term effects of Covid-19 can cause survivors to develop heart problems, diabetes and chronic liver and kidney conditions.
Kamlesh Kamlesh, the study's author and a professor of primary care diabetes and vascular medicine at Leicester University, said it was the "largest study of people discharged from hospital after being admitted with Covid".
Professor Khunti told The Daily Telegraph : "People seem to be going home, getting long-term effects, coming back in and dying.
"We see nearly 30 per cent have been readmitted, and that's a lot of people. The numbers are so large."
LONG-TERM EFFECTS
The study has yet to be peer-reviewed and the statistics are based on initial data.
Prof Khunti said he was surprised to see that patients were being readmitted to hospitla with a different diagnosis and many had also developed further complications.
He added: "We don't know if it's because Covid destroyed the beta cells which make insulin and you get Type 1 diabetes, or whether it causes insulin resistance, and you develop Type 2, but we are seeing these surprising new diagnoses of diabetes."
The Government currently registers a death as Covid-related if the patient died up to 28 days after a positive test.
This latest research could mean that the true death toll may be higher if patients who survive coronavirus return to hospital with serious health problems months later.
It comes as five million over-70s and "extremely vulnerable" Brits will be invited to get their Covid jab from today.
Letters will be sent to the next two priority groups as the UK jabs 140 people every minute and 10 new vaccination centres open this morning.
Boris Johnson hailed a new "milestone" in the race to vaccinate the country.
The next stage will see 4.6million in their 70s and older another one million who are "clinically extremely vulnerable".
This group includes people who have immune conditions, cancer or have received organ transplants.
More than 3.8 million people in the UK – including over-80s, care home residents, and NHS and social care staff – have already received their first dose of the vaccine.
And ministers believe all 54million Brits over 18 will have been immunised by the end of June.
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