• Guro H Fossum, Anja Maria Brænd, Silje Rebekka Heltveit-Olsen, Guri Rørtveit, Sigurd Høye, and Jørund Straand.
• The Antibiotic Centre for Primary Care, Department of General Practice, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
• Scand J Prim Health Care. 2023 Dec 1; 41 (4): 427434427-434.

ObjectiveDependent on clinical setting, geography and timing during the pandemic, variable symptoms of COVID-19 have been reported. Our aim was to describe self-reported symptom intensity and contact with primary health care among nonhospitalized COVID-19 patients.DesignWeb-based survey.SettingNorway between March 2020 and July 2021.SubjectsAdults in home isolation.Main Outcome MeasuresParticipants reported possible COVID-19 symptoms, duration of symptoms, score of symptom severity (Likert scale 0-3), risk factors, comorbidity, and questions regarding follow-up and information from primary health care.ResultsOf 477 participants, 379 (79%) had PCR-confirmed COVID-19, 324 (68%) were females, and 90% were younger than 60 years. Most common symptoms were "fatigue and/or muscle ache" (80%), nasal symptoms (79%), and headache (73%). The mean severity of symptoms was generally low. Symptoms with the highest mean scores were "fatigue and/or muscle ache" (1.51, SD 1.02) and headache (1.27 (SD 1.00). Mean scores for severity ranged from 0.28 (nausea) to 1.51 (fatigue and/or muscle ache). Women reported higher symptom scores than men. For "affected sense of smell and/or taste", patients either reported a high symptom score (24%) or no affliction at all (49%). A third of the participants (32%) were followed-up by primary care health personnel, and almost 40% had sought or received information about COVID-19 from general practitioners.ConclusionThe mean severity of symptoms among nonhospitalized adult COVID-19 patients was generally low. We found large variations in the occurrence and severity of symptoms between patients.

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