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What is long COVID and how can I protect myself and my community?
The time it takes to improve after COVID-19 is different for everyone, depending on how sick they were with COVID-19 and whether they had other pre-existing health conditions. Some people experience continued symptoms after having COVID-19. Even mild cases of COVID-19 can have a lasting impact on people’s health.
Read on to learn about the long-term effects of COVID and what it means to you and your community.
What is the long COVID?
Long COVID-19 is when a person’s COVID-19 symptoms last four weeks or more after they were first infected with COVID-19. Long COVID can last for many weeks and months, even after a person no longer has the virus.
The symptoms of long COVID may be different for each person. Common symptoms include:
- tiredness
- difficulty breathing
- a persistent cough
- chest pain
- joint pain
- there is not enough energy to exercise
- fever
- headaches
- memory problems and difficulty thinking clearly (‘brain fog’)
- depression or anxiety.
Many long-term side effects of COVID-19 are not yet known. That’s why it’s important that you do your best to protect yourself from COVID-19 virus infection, including receiving and keeping up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine.
Who can have long COVID?
Long COVID-19 can affect anyone who has been infected with COVID-19. There is ongoing research in Australia and around the world to try to better understand who is most likely to be at risk of developing long-term COVID symptoms.
People who had a mild COVID-19 infection and did not have to go to the hospital can still have COVID for a long time. Some studies suggest that up to 1 in 3 people who have had COVID are potentially affected by long-term COVID. Experts continue to study COVID for a long time to find out how many people are affected and find the best ways to treat and reduce it.
How do I protect myself and my community?
COVID-19 vaccines can help reduce the chance of experiencing COVID-19 for a long time. Be sure to keep up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines to help protect you from long-term COVID-19.
You can help stop the spread of COVID-19 by vaccinating yourself and continuing to follow safe practices against COVID, such as staying 1.5 meters away from others and wearing masks properly. This causes fewer people to become infected with COVID-19, reducing the number of people suffering from COVID-19 for a long time.
If you tested positive for COVID-19 more than a few weeks ago and still feel unwell, talk to your doctor.
If you are concerned about your symptoms or need more information, visit health.gov.au or call the Coronavirus National Helpline at 1800 020 080. Select option 8 for free interpretation services.
Authorized by the Australian government, Canberra.
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