Background The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging disease with many unknown clinical and therapeutic dimensions. Patients with COVID-19 experience a variety of psychological problems during the disease. Understanding patients’ mental condition and their distress during the disease is the first step to help these patients. So, the aim of this study was to explain COVID-19 patients’ experiences of psychological distress during the disease course. Methods The present qualitative research was conducted in Iran from April 2020 to April 2021 using the conventional content analysis method. The participants included patients with COVID-19, selected by the purposeful sampling method. Data was collected through 34 telephone and in-person interviews and analyzed based on the method proposed by Lundman and Graneheim. Results Qualitative data analysis led to the emergence of sources of psychological distress as the main theme as well as seven categories and seven sub-categories. The categories were the disease’s nature (the subcategories of disease’s unknown dimensions, and disease severity), the anxiety caused by preventive behaviors (the subcategories of quarantine, worry about transmitting the infection to others and obsessive thoughts related to disinfection measures), the inefficient management by the health system (the subcategories of poor health care condition and lack of spiritual care), death anxiety, stigma, anxiety after recovery, and sleep pattern disturbance. Conclusion Patients with COVID-19 experience great psychological distress during the acute phase of the disease or even long after recovery. It is suggested that psychological and spiritual counseling, as a key element of treatment and support for these patients, is provided to patients in the acute phase of the disease, as well as after recovery. National and local media should boost awareness about the disease as a dangerous yet preventable and curable infectious disease. People should follow health instructions and leave their seeing the disease as a taboo. Trial registration number Not applicable.

Background: Covid-19 is a novel disease with many unknown clinical and managemental dimensions. To effectively diagnose, control, and treat the disease, it is required to divulge its clinical symptoms and their qualities. On the other hand, no one can better interpret the clinical symptoms than the caregivers infected by the disease. So, the aim of this study was to exploring the experiences of infected health-care providers about clinical manifestations of Covid-19 disease.Methods: The present qualitative research was conducted using the conventional content analysis method in Iran from March to Jun 2020. Participants in this study included infected health care providers with Covid-19, who were selected based on purposeful sampling method. The data was collected by 18 phone call interviews and analyzed according Lundman and Graneheim approach.Results: Qualitative data analysis revealed 10 categories including respiratory disorders, fever and chills, body pain, fatigue, headache, skin disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, taste and olfactory disturbances, insomnia and also stress and anxiety.Conclusion: Patients with Covid-19 may experience specific or non-specific disorders. It is necessary to consider people with non-specific manifestations as suspicious cases and screen them with proper diagnostic tests. This can help to identify true positive patients and provide them with more effective health cares, and prevent further spread of the disease by isolating suspected individuals.Trial registration number: Not applicable

BackgroundCovid-19 is a novel disease with many unknown clinical and managemental dimensions. To effectively diagnose, control, and treat the disease, it is required to divulge its clinical symptoms and their qualities. On the other hand, no one can better interpret the clinical symptoms than the caregivers infected by the disease. So, the aim of this study was to exploring the experiences of infected health-care providers about clinical manifestations of Covid-19 disease.MethodsThe present qualitative research was conducted using the conventional content analysis method in Iran from March to Jun 2020. Participants in this study included infected health care providers with Covid-19, who were selected based on purposeful sampling method. The data was collected by 18 phone call interviews and analyzed according Lundman and Graneheim approach.ResultsQualitative data analysis revealed 10 categories including respiratory disorders, fever and chills, body pain, fatigue, headache, skin disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, taste and olfactory disturbances, insomnia and also stress and anxiety.ConclusionPatients with Covid-19 may experience specific or non-specific disorders. It is necessary to consider people with non-specific manifestations as suspicious cases and screen them with proper diagnostic tests. This can help to identify true positive patients and provide them with more effective health cares, and prevent further spread of the disease by isolating suspected individuals.Trial registration numberNot applicable