What is long COVID?
Long COVID is a condition affects some people who have been infected with COVID-19 and experience long-term symptoms
from their infection for more than one month.
CDC U.S. has estimated the proportion of people who had COVID-19 that go on to experience long covid by:
- 13.3% at one month or longer after infection
- 2.5% at three months or longer, based on self-reporting
- More than 30% at 6 months among patients who were hospitalized
Symptoms
People with post-COVID conditions can have a wide range of symptoms that can last more than four weeks or even months after infection. Sometimes the symptoms can even go away or come back again.
People with post-COVID conditions may develop or continue to have symptoms that are hard to explain and manage.
People who experience post-COVID conditions most commonly report:
- Tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Fever
- Fast-beating or pounding heart
- Difficulty thinking or concentrating
- Headache
- Dizziness when you stand up
- Depression or anxiety
- Diarrhea and Stomach pain
- Joint or muscle pain
People More Likely to Develop Long COVID
Some people may be more at risk for developing post-COVID conditions (or long COVID).
Studies have shown that some groups of people may be affected more by post-COVID conditions. These are examples people who might be more at risk for developing post-COVID conditions:
- People who have experienced more severe COVID-19 illness, especially those who were hospitalized or needed intensive care.
- People who had underlying health conditions prior to COVID-19.
- People who did not get a COVID-19 vaccine.
- People who experience multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) during or after COVID-19 illness.
Preventing Long COVID
- Research suggests that people who are vaccinated but experience a breakthrough infection are less likely to report post-COVID conditions, compared to people who are unvaccinated.
- People who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 and become infected may also be at higher risk of developing post-COVID conditions compared to people who were vaccinated and had breakthrough infections.
