What to Know About Long COVID

For most healthy adults, a COVID infection means a few rough weeks of symptoms before recovery. But in at least 10% of all COVID cases, a few weeks stretches into months or years. Long COVID symptoms can make a return to normal life feel impossible. People who were once serious athletes can’t jog around the block, and executives who led companies can’t remember what they were doing 10 minutes ago.

Jeanette Brown, MD, PhD, who leads the Long COVID Clinic at University of Utah Health, says much has been learned since the first patients came forward with long COVID symptoms. But, she adds, research continues into what groups are most at risk for long COVID, how to treat it, and the range of symptoms and recovery.