The Story:
As Covid-19 loses its novelty, more is becoming clear about the continuing impact it leaves upon the bodies of those who have recovered from the worst symptoms. A third of Covid survivors have what are called “long-haul symptoms.”
Significance:
After the crisis has passed and a Covid patient is feeling better, perhaps even discharged from his hospital bed to home, several symptoms can linger. These include body aches, joint aches, shortness of breath, and the loss of taste and smell. Roughly one-third of Covid patients will have these long-haul problems.
The loss of taste and smell is unique among these, because typically it doesn’t manifest itself until after the initial crisis has passed.
In Pill Form:
A new study, published this week in JAMA Network Open, says that fatigue is the most common long-haul symptom. Many more women than men report long-haul symptoms. This may be, as one expert speculated, because “women may be more willing to seek medical attention and speak openly” of their long-haul problems. If that hypothesis is valid, then it seems the true number of long-haulers, inclusive of the men who choose to be the “strong silent type,” has been underreported.
