At least 48% of Russians have been ill with COVID-19 over the past three years

At least 48% of Russians have definitely been sick with COVID-19 over the past three years. Moreover, 15% faced with a confirmed diagnosis several times. This is evidenced by a study by the Federal Research and Clinical Center of the FMBA of Russia and the insurance house VSK. This is much more than reported by government statistics. The experts found that about the same number of citizens faced with a moderate course of the disease as with a mild one – 40% each, about 10% were seriously ill, 5.2% had to be treated in a hospital. The coronavirus pandemic, FMBA experts point out, has led to an increase in calls to cardiologists, ophthalmologists and infectious disease specialists.

Specialists of the Federal Research and Clinical Center of the FMBA of Russia, together with the insurance house VSK, analyzed how the coronavirus pandemic affected the consumption of medical services by Russians and the attitude of citizens to their health. The researchers conducted two surveys in 2020 and 2023 among 1.6 thousand respondents (men and women aged 18–65), and also studied the statistics of the insurance company’s clients applying for VHI in 2023.

According to the results of the study, at least 48% of Russians have definitely been sick with COVID-19 over the past three years. Moreover, 15% faced with a confirmed diagnosis several times. This is much more than reported by government statistics. According to the latest official data (as of January 1, 2023), there were almost 22 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in Russia, or about 16% of the total population of the country.

Less than half of the participants in the FMBA survey (40%) had a mild form of coronavirus, 44.6% experienced a moderate course of the disease, 9.6% were ill in a severe form, but were not hospitalized, 5.2% were treated in a hospital. It is noteworthy that about 33% of Russians do not know for sure whether they were sick with COVID-19, since they did not take a PCR test.

At the same time, the authors of the study point out that in 2023, almost 49% of Russians experienced ARVI once or twice (in 2020, the figure was 43.7%), another 32% – three to four times (28.1% in 2020). ). Five or six times ARVI was sick 7.4%, seven to eight times – 3%, 11 times or more often – 1.1%. Only 6.7% of respondents did not have ARVI during the year. The omicron strain of coronavirus, which began to spread in January 2022, still dominates, causing a disease similar in symptoms to SARS. Thus, according to FMBA experts, the actual number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 may be significantly higher than the results of the study showed.

After the coronavirus, patients have problems with the cardiovascular, respiratory systems, organs of vision, the center’s specialists say. Thus, during the pandemic, the number of Russians’ visits to cardiologists (from 12.6% to 16.7%), ophthalmologists (from 14.4% to 18.1%) and infectious disease specialists (from 4.6% to 6%) has significantly increased. . According to VSK estimates, in addition to Moscow, the Moscow region and St. Petersburg, the largest number of calls to cardiologists is recorded in the Voronezh, Kemerovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Tula, Sverdlovsk, Novosibirsk regions and in Udmurtia. The help of ophthalmologists is more in demand in Yakutia, Volgograd, Voronezh, Rostov, Sverdlovsk regions, Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories.

The average age of cardiologist patients in Russia after the pandemic is 50–51 years. However, in some regions, cardiovascular diseases have seriously “rejuvenated”. So, in Mordovia, the average age of a patient is 29 years, in Mari El – 38-39 years, in the Novosibirsk region – 41-42 years, in the Volgograd and Bryansk regions – 43 years, in the Nizhny Novgorod region – 44 years. And in the risk group for ophthalmic diseases in the post-pandemic period, there are mainly Russians aged 46-47. At the same time, in the Kamchatka Territory, the average age of patients is 23 years, in the Tver and Oryol regions – 32 years, in the Altai Territory – 38 years, in Bashkortostan and the Omsk Region – 39 years, in the Krasnodar Territory – 40 years, in Primorye – 41 years.

Muraz Shambatov, a cardiologist at the Doctis telemedicine service, confirms that after the pandemic, the frequency of detecting a number of chronic non-communicable diseases in people who have had a coronavirus infection has increased. According to him, this may be due not only to the disease directly, but also to prolonged isolation and quite pronounced emotional stress. He points out that there are “separate studies” that indicate more severe progression of atherosclerosis after suffering a coronavirus. Also a “very interesting” consequence of covid is virus-mediated inflammation of the heart muscle – myocarditis. However, more often, Mr. Shambatov meets patients who began to notice certain symptoms from the cardiovascular system “due to their emotional experiences”: pain in the heart area, a feeling of interruptions in his work, a feeling of rapid heartbeat

Another characteristic trend since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the FMBA, has been an increase in the number of calls to pulmonologists in connection with suspected coronavirus or the need to treat its consequences. Moreover, if in 2020 COVID-19 was the reason for visiting a specialist in 20.7% of cases, then in 2023 this figure almost doubled to 39.8%. One of the most common symptoms is still cough and signs of SARS. At the same time, Russians are much less likely to complain of shortness of breath and chest pain, but more often of fever and asthma attacks. However, there are also positive trends, the authors of the study emphasize: by the beginning of 2023, on average, Russians are treated by a pulmonologist for 3.4 years (including patients with chronic diseases), while in 2020 this figure was 3.9 years. For the vast majority of respondents (40%), it is enough to visit a specialist once a year. According to VSK estimates, in 2023, residents of Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Chelyabinsk, Kemerovo, Kirov, Kaliningrad, Tomsk regions and Primorsky Krai (in addition to Moscow, Moscow region and St. Petersburg) most often turned to pulmonologists.

The scientific director of the network of clinics for immunorehabilitation and preventive medicine Grand Clinic, Olga Shuppo, argues that the statistics are “greatly underestimated,” as the number of visits to medical institutions has increased many times this year. According to Mrs. Schuppo, the number of applications for broncho-pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, as well as obesity, has increased the most. She explains that the pandemic has made serious changes in the habitual way of life of many people: As a result, obesity now threatens to become a new pandemic.”

However, the FMBA study showed that the pandemic has also become an incentive for Russians to carefully monitor their well-being. Thus, 52% of respondents reconsidered their attitude to their health. 68% began to regularly undergo preventive examinations, 53% pay attention to any symptoms of new diseases, 32% carefully follow the recommendations of doctors, 31% admit that they have begun to lead a healthier lifestyle. Anna Sotnikova, Head of the Department of Pulmonology at the Federal Research and Clinical Center of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, warns: “Despite the fact that the pandemic has ended and the incidence of COVID-19 has decreased, it is important to continue to monitor your body. After all, the consequences of the disease can be the most unexpected and not immediately manifest.

Natalya Kostarnova