Long Covid

What is long COVID?

Long COVID is the medical term given to the continuation of symptoms associated with the COVID-19 virus, that persist for 12 weeks or more. This can otherwise be known as post-COVID syndrome. 

What are the main symptoms of long COVID?

It has been medically proven that symptoms of long COVID include:

tiredness/fatigue shortness of breath loss of smell and/or taste concentration and/or memory problems difficulty sleeping joint pain heart palpitations loss of appetite headaches diarrhoea high temperature cough sore throat appearance of rashes dizziness pins and needles

The list of symptoms associated with long COVID continues to grow, as the condition is studied more closely.

 

When should someone see a doctor in relation to long COVID symptoms?

If a patient notices that they are still suffering from or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 four weeks or more after first contracting the virus, they should certainly see a doctor with regards to these symptoms, to discuss and review the severity and regularity of any associated long COVID symptoms. 

 

Do severe COVID-19 symptoms influence a person's chances of suffering from long COVID?

Fascinatingly, there have been studies that have shown that patients who experience long COVID symptoms may not have necessarily suffered from severe COVID-19 symptoms when they were first confirmed to have COVID-19. In other words, suffering from long COVID (persisting, long-lasting) symptoms is not linked with the severity of the initial COVID-19.