Paper and Threads

These are patients who have continuing symptoms for 4 or more weeks after Covid-19.  Symptoms can last more than 4 weeks after mild cases of Covid-19, and more than 8 weeks after hospitalized cases.  Unfortunately symptoms can last for months.  Many of the current long haul patients couldn't get a virus test when they first became ill because of the restrictions on testing.  But many of them now have positive antibody tests documenting the virus. 

Symptoms are very variable among patients, and in general they haven't returned to their pre-infection status.  There are respiratory symptoms, cardiac symptoms, decreased taste/smell, myalgias, headache, sleep problems, clotting disturbances, skin rashes, foggy brain, and fatigue mirroring chronic fatigue syndrome.  Although there are theories about the cause including continued infection or immune response to the virus and/or virus debris, the cause is unknown.  The incidence is greater than has been seen with other viral infections, and specialized centers are being developed to assess these patients and test therapies.  Long hauler patients are advised to locate one of these centers.