Alva Review-Courier -

Nursing home residents and staff in Alva have experienced an outbreak of Covid-19. Others in the area have tested positive. With home tests available and lack of tracking, it’s difficult to estimate how many are affected at any one time.

In addition to concerns about spreading the disease, there’s concern about individuals who are experiencing lingering health conditions long after recovering from Covid. I know at least two people who have experienced such issues.

Here’s how the CDC (Center for Disease Control) defines Long Covid: Some people who have been infected with the virus that causes Covid-19 can experience long-term effects from their infection, known as Long Covid or Post-Covid Conditions (PCC). Long Covid is broadly defined as signs, symptoms, and conditions that continue or develop after acute Covid-19 infection. This definition of Long Covid was developed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in collaboration with CDC and other partners.

People call Long Covid by many names, including Post-Covid Conditions, long-haul Covid, post-acute Covid-19, long-term effects of Covid, and chronic Covid. The term post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC) is also used to refer to a subset of Long Covid.

Here’s more information from the CDC about the condition:

Long Covid can include a wide range of ongoing health problems; these conditions can last weeks, months, or years.

Long Covid occurs more often in people who had severe Covid-19 illness, but anyone who has been infected with the virus that causes Covid-19 can experience it.

People who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 and become infected may have a higher risk of developing Long Covid compared to people who have been vaccinated.

People can be reinfected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, multiple times. Each time a person is infected or reinfected with SARS-CoV-2, they have a risk of developing Long Covid.

While most people with Long Covid have evidence of infection or Covid-19 illness, in some cases, a person with Long Covid may not have tested positive for the virus or known they were infected.

CDC and partners are working to understand more about who experiences Long Covid and why, including whether groups disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 are at higher risk.

Long Covid is a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems that people experience after being infected with the virus that causes Covid-19. Most people with Covid-19 get better within a few days to a few weeks after infection, so at least 4 weeks after infection is the start of when Long Covid could first be identified. Anyone who was infected can experience Long Covid. Most people with Long Covid experienced symptoms days after first learning they had Covid-19, but some people who later experienced Long Covid did not know when they got infected.

There is no test that determines if your symptoms or condition is due to Covid-19. Long Covid is not one illness. Your healthcare provider considers a diagnosis of Long Covid based on your health history, including if you had a diagnosis of Covid-19 either by a positive test or by symptoms or exposure, as well as based on a health examination.

Symptoms

People with Long Covid may experience many symptoms.

People with Long Covid can have a wide range of symptoms that can last weeks, months, or even years after infection. Sometimes the symptoms can even go away and come back again. For some people, Long Covid can last weeks, months, or years after Covid-19 illness and can sometimes result in disability.

Long Covid may not affect everyone the same way. People with Long Covid may experience health problems from different types and combinations of symptoms that may emerge, persist, resolve, and reemerge over different lengths of time. Though most patients’ symptoms slowly improve with time, speaking with your healthcare provider about the symptoms you are experiencing after having Covid-19 could help determine if you might have Long Covid.

People who experience Long Covid most commonly report:

General symptoms (Not a Comprehensive List)

• Tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life

• Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort (also known as “post-exertional malaise”)

• Fever

• Respiratory and heart symptoms

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

• Cough

• Chest pain

• Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)

• Neurological symptoms

• Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”)

• Headache

• Sleep problems

• Dizziness when you stand up (lightheadedness)

• Pins-and-needles feelings

• Change in smell or taste

• Depression or anxiety

• Digestive symptoms

• Diarrhea

• Stomach pain

• Other symptoms

• Joint or muscle pain

• Rash

• Changes in menstrual cycles

• Symptoms that are hard to explain and manage

People with Long Covid may develop or continue to have symptoms that are hard to explain and manage. Clinical evaluations and results of routine blood tests, chest X-rays, and electrocardiograms may be normal. The symptoms are similar to those reported by people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and other poorly understood chronic illnesses that may occur after other infections. People with these unexplained symptoms may be misunderstood by their healthcare providers, which can result in a delay in diagnosis and receiving the appropriate care or treatment.

People More Likely to Develop Long Covid

Some people may be more at risk for developing Long Covid.

Researchers are working to understand which people or groups of people are more likely to have Long Covid, and why. Studies have shown that some groups of people may be affected more by Long Covid. These are examples and not a comprehensive list of people or groups who might be more at risk than other groups for developing Long Covid:

• People who have experienced more severe Covid-19 illness, especially those who were hospitalized or needed intensive care.

• People who had underlying health conditions prior to Covid-19.

• People who did not get a Covid-19 vaccine.

Preventing Long Covid

The best way to prevent Long Covid is to protect yourself and others from becoming infected. For people who are eligible, CDC recommends staying up to date on Covid-19 vaccination, along with improving ventilation, getting tested for Covid-19 if needed, and seeking treatment for Covid-19 if eligible. Additional preventative measures include avoiding close contact with people who have a confirmed or suspected Covid-19 illness and washing hands or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Research suggests that people who get a Covid-19 infection after vaccination are less likely to report Long Covid, compared to people who are unvaccinated.

CDC, other federal agencies, and non-federal partners are working to identify further measures to lessen a person’s risk of developing Long Covid. Learn more about protecting yourself and others from Covid-19.

Long Covid Resources

Prevention magazine, January 2024 issue, has an article about three individuals specific cases of Long Covid. They also offer these resources for those who have been diagnosed:

• Online Support Group: The Facebook Long Covid support group has more than 60,000 members. (facebook.com/groups/longcovid).

• Book: “The Long Haul” by journalist and sufferer Ryan Prior documents the ways people with this disease are changing research, with patients at all stages involved.

• App: with Visible, you can track your symptoms and identify patterns (makevisible.com).

• Research: You can sign up to be part of a major study and get tips for talking to your doctor or obtaining disability payments at the National Institutes of Health (www.nih.gov, search for Covid-19 topics and click on “Long Covid”).