According to a report from the American Medical Association (AMA), most people with COVID-19 won’t become severely ill; however, a significant percent develop what is called “long COVID.” It is estimated that anywhere from 15 percent to 80 percent of patients who contract COVID experience “long COVID” after recovering from the acute phase of COVID—even if they weren’t very sick in the first place.
Long COVID (officially named “post-acute sequelae to SARS-CoV-2” or “post-acute sequelae to COVID” infection, or simply “PASC” (PASC) is a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people experience more than four weeks after being first infected with COVID.
Worse, even people who did not have any symptoms of their acute COVID can experience long COVID.
Long covid can present as different types and combinations of health problems and can range in lengths of time, according to the CDC.
The odds of not coming down with long COVID (and of significantly reducing the odds of illness severe enough to warrant hospitalization) are dramatically lowered by becoming fully immunized with one of the three safe and highly effective vaccines available in the U.S.
The AMA offers more resources to help the millions living with long COVID.
© Copyright WLL, INC. 2021. This blog provides healthcare tips and advice that you can trust about a wide variety of general health information only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from your regular physician. If you are concerned about your health, take what you learn from this blog and meet with your personal doctor to discuss your concerns.