Long COVID Resources
For You

Post COVID condition or Persistent Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) are terms used to describe the long term impact of COVID that develop for some people after a COVID-19 infection. Medicine does not know exactly why some people develop persistent symptoms after a COVID infection and research is being done to better understand and find treatments for long covid. PASC is described by the World Health Organization as a condition that occurs after a COVID-19 infection (either confirmed or presumed) and this condition usually occurs 3 months after COVID started. The symptoms a person with post COVID experiences usually have been occurring for at least 2 months and they cannot be explained by some other problem. The symptoms themselves are wide ranging and can come and go over time or they may have been occurring from the time of the initial covid infection.

For people with PASC the symptoms they experience generally impact their daily life in a negative way and many complain of fatigue, shortness of breath, trouble thinking clearly, cough, anxiety and a variety of other symptoms. In fact almost any symptom may be persistent and found to be troubling long after an initial COVID-19 infection

There are many symptoms that can occur after the initial infection and sickness caused by COVID-19.  Doctors and patients generally put the symptoms into different categories based on the area of the body impacted.  Some of the more common symptoms that people experience are:

There is currently no test or study that can tell you definitively if you have post covid syndrome or long COVID. The diagnosis of long COVID is made after consulting with a provider that is knowledgeable in this disease. Specialists in post covid care will review your history and symptoms and work with you to determine if COVID is the most likely cause and if it is what support and treatment you may need. Your symptoms are reviewed thoroughly and appropriate tests performed depending on your complaints. These tests may include blood work, x-rays, studies of the heart, CT scans and even specialized testing of your lungs. Long COVID usually occurs 4-12 weeks after a COVID infection and can occur even when the initial infection was mild or had no symptoms.

There is a lot that we still don’t know about Long COVID. Estimates of Long COVID range from 5-30% but differ based on variant, age, gender and pre-existing conditions.