Did you know that out of 2 million people that were diagnosed with COVID, more than 23% of them experienced lingering effects of COVID over a month after their initial diagnosis?
There is still a lot to learn about COVID and its lingering health effects. As you recover from COVID, it's often not a straight path towards recovery.
So, keep reading this guide to learn everything you need to know about COVID and its lingering effects.
All About COVID
The first case of COVID-19 was on December 1, 2019, and was thought to have originated as the coronavirus in animals, later mutating to cause human illness. COVID-19 is short for coronavirus disease 2019 and is from the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
The COVID virus spreads through droplets, mostly from saliva or nasal secretions from an infected person that coughs or sneezes.
COVID Symptoms
Symptoms of COVID can show up anytime from 2 to 14 days after you're exposed to the virus. Once you're infected, you can be contagious to others for 10 to 20 days after your symptoms appear.
Symptoms and effects of COVID include:
- Cough
- Fever
- Chills
- Difficulty breathing
- Muscle aches and headaches
- Sore throat
- Loss of taste of smell
- Nausea and Vomiting
Some people have a mild illness with COVID and experience no symptoms at all. But in other cases, COVID can lead to long-lasting effects and complications.
Long Haul COVID
When you have mild or moderate COVID, it typically lasts about 14 days for most people. But other people can experience other health problems and long-term effects even after they've recovered from the initial illness phase.
When you have covid long-term, you may test negative for the COVID virus but still have symptoms that can severely debilitate you.
Medical professionals refer to long-term COVID symptoms as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2. But it's more commonly called post-COVID or long haul COVID.
Long Term Health Effects
The most common symptoms of long haul COVID include shortness of breath, fatigue, cough, chest pain, and joint pain. People also experience difficulty concentrating, depression, headaches, rapid heartbeat, and fevers that come and go.
Breathing issues after COVID can occur even after a mild infection, where you get easily winded even after light activity. Recovery is possible, but it can take months for your lung function to return to normal.
Over half of people who recover from COVID develop signs of heart inflammation such as heart palpitations, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath.
The loss of or a distorted sense of taste and smell can also linger on for people with long haul COVID. The loss of taste and smell isn't life-threatening, but it can lead to a lack of appetite, weight loss, and depression. But the good news is over 60% of people see improvements within a year.
Lingering Effects of COVID
You don't have to suffer alone. For help with the lingering effects of COVID, turn to the professionals at Noorani Medical Center.
We offer a variety of family medical services like well-woman visits and an on-site laboratory.
For compassionate and quality care, contact the professionals at Noorani Medical Center today.