The resurgence of coronavirus is going to take a big toll that won’t be shown by the number of deaths: It’s a syndrome known as Long COVID. An illness that harms 10 to 30% of people with covid.
Even after mild coronavirus, these “long haulers” get symptoms that might never go away naturally. And while researchers are trying to find a cure, patients might never get 100% back to their former selves.
So what are the symptoms of long covid? Read on to discover the 3 most common signs:
1 — Extreme Fatigue
Long covid looks like chronic fatigue syndrome. The hallmark symptom of this is of course fatigue. This is not simply sleepiness, or exhaustion you maybe feel after a long day standing or working on your feet (although you might feel exhausted). For many, it is more like your energy is getting drowned by a suppressive feeling inside of you. What is worrisome about it is that, even if the fatigue goes away for a day or so, many Long Haulers feel it come back after they do anything active in any way. It can come back after a walk or even something like doing simple chores like dishes.
2 — Muscle Aches
You may also get aches and pains due to the post infection. These might seem to be transitory. One day you could have a pain within your chest that seems like a heart attack—but is really an inflammation of your ribs—and the next day you could have a terrible back pain; some patients report consistent pain in areas that were completely fine before they got coronavirus. Covid disrupts many systems, from neurological to vascular and this can lead to pain in a lot of places.
3 — Temperature Dysregulation
Some people have high fevers because of COVID—some of these fevers can last for months. Your body might believe it still has the virus even though the virus left. Another theory is there are strands of COVID left inside long covid sufferers. In both cases, your body is attempting to regulate itself, and this can mean chills or fever.
Author: Blake Ambrose