Understanding Long COVID

Long COVID affects people for weeks, months, or even longer after getting COVID-19.  They may have difficulty carrying out daily activities because of their symptoms. Long COVID does not affect everyone the same way.

The symptoms may:

• Start soon after infection or after you’ve already recovered from COVID.
• Come and go.
• Be different than the symptoms of COVID-19.
• Go away with time.

Even if you don’t feel sick when first infected with COVID-19, you can develop Long COVID symptoms later.

Long COVID may also be called long-haul COVID, post-COVID conditions, chronic COVID, and post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC). 

• Feeling weak and tired
• Trouble breathing
• Trouble thinking
• Fast-beating or pounding heart
• Trouble sleeping
• Headache
• Fever
• Feeling anxious or depressed

Who is more likely to get Long COVID?

Scientists are working to answer this question. They think people are more at risk if they:

• Had severe COVID (if they were hospitalized, for example).
• Had other health conditions such as diabetes or a lung condition before getting COVID.
• Did not get a COVID vaccine.

How can I prevent Long COVID?

Get vaccinated and boosted to lower your chances of getting COVID-19 and then getting Long COVID.

What should I do if I think I have Long COVID?

Talk with a health care provider. There is no test or treatment for Long COVID, but a provider may do tests to understand what’s happening in your body. If they diagnose you with Long COVID, they can work with you to make a plan that may help manage your symptoms.

You can help scientists understand Long COVID

Participating in research studies helps scientists understand this illness and find ways to treat symptoms. The RECOVER Initiative seeks to understand who is at risk, why some people recover while others do not, and explore possible Long COVID treatments. Anyone can volunteer for RECOVER. This includes people with COVID or who have never had COVID. Learn more at recovercovid.org.

It is important that people from all walks of life participate in research, so that researchers can better understand how Long COVID affects different people. To do that, the studies need to include people of all races and ethnicities, genders, ages, jobs, education levels, incomes, health conditions and U.S. locations.

Updated: August 14, 2023

Spanish Version: Entendiendo el COVID persistente