The long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection and includes fatigue, joint pains, shortness of breath and loss of smell for extended periods of time after the onset of the initial illness.
Long haulers, a term used for those with long COVID, can also develop serious cardiac, pulmonary, and neurological problems. Memory loss, lack of concentration, and depression have also been reported. These people recover from the acute stage of the disease, are not found to be infectious for a long period, but they suffer long-term effects of COVID-19.
Presently, there is no consensus on a medical definition of the condition. The following is a suggestion from a British Medical Journal panel in September 2020: Long covid is a condition of not recovering for several weeks or months following the start of symptoms that were suggestive of COVID-19, whether the person was tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection or not. Advocacy groups prefer this definition as there are some with long COVID whose insurance claims are denied because they did not get tested for the virus.
Some studies suggest that people whose symptoms extend beyond three weeks from the start of the illness have post-acute COVID-19. Having symptoms beyond this period would be classified as having chronic COVID-19.
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Infectious Disease Symptoms