Long-term COVID-19 continues to pose challenges concerning how best to manage the most common symptoms that COVID long-haulers are experiencing. Such symptoms include fatigue; shortness of breath and/or difficult breathing; brain fog; numbness and tingling throughout the body; and mental health challenges.

Long-hauler symptoms last for at least four weeks following an acute coronavirus infection, though the average duration has been two to six months—or longer. In a press conference sponsored by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, experts discussed some of the patterns that have emerged and the knowledge we have thus far.*

Asymptomatic infection rarely leads to long COVID

People with asymptomatic infections rarely seem to experience persistent post-COVID symptoms, though, “we are certainly seeing people who were not hospitalized who were acutely ill and managed it at home,” said Kathleen Bell, M.D., who holds the Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Chair in Mobility Research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Allison Navis, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Neuro-Infectious Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, concurred—stating that in her experience, “[t]here were maybe one or two people who probably had asymptomatic infection and came in with a mild long-COVID syndrome.”

Long-term hospitalization can be hazardous

For some patients, simply being hospitalized for COVID-19 can lead to long-term recovery issues, both physically and mentally. Inpatients who spend extended periods in a prone position are at higher risk for peripheral neuropathy, Bell said, and long-term hospital stays can strain a person’s emotional resources. 

“We have people in the hospital for three months, and in a large percentage we are seeing mental health symptoms including PTSD, anxiety, and depression,” said Bell, adding that these effects are not limited to patients with COVID-19.

*McNamara, D. (2021, Feb. 12). Guidelines in the Works as ‘Long-Haul’ Patterns Emerge in COVID. Medscape. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/945785

Much about the novel coronavirus, i.e., COVID-19, is still not fully understood. As research progresses and our knowledge of the virus increases, information can change rapidly. We strive to update all of our articles as quickly as possible, but there may occasionally be some lag between scientific developments and our revisions.