METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of long COVID data collected by the Port Dickson District Health Office between 1 September 2021 to 31 October 2021. Monitoring long COVID symptoms was our quality improvement initiative to safeguard residents' health in the district. The study population was patients previously diagnosed with COVID-19 who resided in Port Dickson. The inclusion criteria were adults aged 18 years and above and were in the fifth week (day 29 to 35) post-COVID-19 diagnosis during the data collection period. We called all consecutive eligible patients to inquire regarding long COVID symptoms. Long COVID was defined as new or ongoing symptoms lasting more than 28 days from the date of positive SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction test. Binary multivariate logistic regression was conducted to determine factors associated with long COVID.

RESULTS: Among 452 patients, they were predominantly male (54.2%), Malays (68.8%) and aged 18-29 years (58.6%). A total of 27.4% (95% CI [23.4-31.8]) of patients experienced long COVID symptoms and were referred to government clinics. The most frequent long COVID symptoms experienced were fatigue (54.0%), cough (20.2%), muscle pain (18.5%), headache (17.7%) and sleep disturbance (16.1%). Females, patients with underlying cardiovascular disease, asthma and chronic obstructive airway disease, those who received symptomatic care, and patients with myalgia and headaches at COVID-19 diagnosis were more likely to have long COVID. Three patients with suspected severe mental health problems were referred to the district psychologist, and ten patients with no/incomplete vaccination were referred for vaccination.