One of the most disconcerting and worrying facets of the coronavirus is the way it persists, with many patients showing symptoms of COVID long after its so-called “recovery”. Known as COVID long haulers and defined as those whose symptoms last more than 28 days after infection, these patients have confused the best medical specialists since the phenomenon began last year. Now, Anthony Fauci, MD, the chief medical advisor to the president Joe Biden, is warning about some important signs to watch for. “We take this very seriously for the simple reason that even a small fraction, and it appears to be more than just a small fraction of people, has persistent symptoms … this can be something that can really be a problem,” said Fauci during a new interview with Rachel Maddow.
“This is a real phenomenon. I personally am dealing with and helping a number of people who have a post-acute COVID-19 syndrome,” Fauci continued on his appearance on 22 January. “They are virologically well. The virus is no longer identified in them, but they have persistent symptoms that can be debilitating. … It can be really very disturbing.”
Fauci told Maddow that the National Institutes of Health, where he is director of the Department of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is making “a huge investment in research dollars to try to find out the full extent of this, any tips on what the underlying mechanisms are, what we can do to treat it “- and it also revealed the longest worrying COVID symptoms. Read on to find out what they are and, to learn more about how to stay safe, find out why the Mayo Clinic warns that this type of mask is “unacceptable”.
Extreme fatigue, which can persist for months, was the first symptom that Fauci listed as commonly seen in these long-term patients with COVID. In a survey by Survivor Corps – a Facebook group that connects survivors of COVID-19 with medical, scientific and academic research communities – led by Natalie LambertMD, an associate professor at Indiana University School of Medicine, the researchers talked to more than 1,500 long-haulers about their symptoms, and fatigue was something that 100 percent of them said they felt. And to learn more about this symptom, check out If you feel tired after that, you may have had COVID.
Fauci also listed persistent muscle pain as a long-term symptom of COVID, which was the second most common effect reported by long-distance researchers in the Survivor Corps survey. Almost 67 percent of people who suffer from long COVID have experienced this symptom. And to learn more about the pains that come with coronavirus, check out Ellen DeGeneres reveals the “thing they don’t say” about COVID.
Patients are also reporting temperature fluctuations, according to Fauci; 29 percent of those surveyed by Survivors Corp said they experienced a fever or chills months after fighting the virus. And to find out more about what constitutes fever, find out why your “normal” temperature isn’t actually 98.6 degrees, doctors warn.
The last long “disturbing” symptom of COVID that Fauci highlighted was the brain fog, which The New York Times Notes are defined as “disturbing cognitive symptoms that may include memory loss, confusion, difficulty focusing, dizziness and difficulty understanding everyday words”. In the Survivors Corp survey, 59 percent of long-haulers had difficulty concentrating, 46 percent had memory problems and 42 percent were struggling with dizziness. And for more information on the long COVID signals, check out If you can’t do this, you may have had COVID, New Study Finds.