BACKGROUND: Most clinical trials have reported significant short-term effects of traditional medicine therapies on COVID-19 patients. However, there is no clinical trial to determine the long-term effects of traditional medicine therapies on severe COVID-19 patients. METHODS: A total of 128 patients with severe COVID-19, who were recruited in our previous clinical trial following hospital discharge, were monitored at months 14 and 28. This trial aims to evaluate the long-term effect of an early Qigong exercise and acupressure rehabilitation program on patients with severe COVID-19. The intervention group received qigong exercise and acupressure therapy, plus standard therapies. The control group received standard therapies. The study was a single-center, parallel, randomized, prospective follow-up study. The outcomes of the study included changes in the modified Borg dyspnea scale (MBS), the modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale (mMRC), the patient health questionnaire-9 scale (PHQ-9), the activity of daily living (ADL), the remaining clinical symptoms and any intervention related adverse events. RESULTS: The intervention group showed a statistically significant improvement in the mMRC scores (-0.4, 95% CI (-0.6 to 0.2), p < 0.001) and the MBS scores (-0.6, 95% CI (-0.9 to -0.3), p < 0.001) after 14 months of discharge compared with the control group. At 28 months of discharge, the intervention group, compared with the control group alone, significantly increased their MBS scores (-0.4, 95% CI (-0.7 to -0.1), p = 0.024) and a significantly decreased positive rate of dyspnea symptoms after 14 months of discharge (p < 0.05). However, ADL and PHQ-9 scores showed no significant difference between the two groups during the follow-up (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: QARP had long-term sustained efficacy for dyspnea, chest tightness, and cough in patients with COVID-19, especially in young and middle-aged patients, and the effect was significant at the 14th month of follow-up. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered at the China Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100044572).

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