Staying Healthy
How can I avoid long COVID?
Ask the doctor
Q. I was pretty sick with COVID-19 but have improved somewhat. Now I'm worried about getting long COVID. How serious is long COVID, and what can I do to avoid it?
A. Some people who "recover" from COVID-19 unfortunately suffer persisting symptoms — such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and disrupted sleep — that seriously impair their ability to function at work and at home. This illness is called long COVID. While it is more likely to develop in people who were most severely ill when they first caught the virus, it also can occur in people who were only mildly affected. Initially, some people (including some doctors) suspected that such persisting illness was due purely to psychological problems or even that the patients might be faking their illness.
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About the Author
Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter
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