Dr Fauci says it’s the symptoms of COVID that don’t go away

As we enter the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, attention shifts to how to deal with the aftermath of the virus, with more survivors experiencing what the we call the “long COVID”. These are patients whose symptoms persist long after the infection has left their system, but continue to wreak havoc on their health. The subject of the long COVID was brought up this week when Anthony Fauci, MD, the White House’s chief COVID adviser, spoke with the Duke Global Health Institute on February 10. “We know there is an unusual syndrome called post-acute COVID syndrome, or PACS,” Fauci explained to David Rubenstein, former chairman of the board of directors of Duke University. “We are studying this intensively with cohort studies because a certain percentage of people who have symptomatic illnesses, whether or not they have been hospitalized, have symptoms that persist for varying periods of time.”

According to Fauci, some symptoms may still be a problem “after the virus is gone from the body. So they are no longer infected, but they have a fairly consistent constellation of signs and symptoms.” Read on to find out what Fauci identified as the key symptoms of post-COVID syndrome, and for more signs you might be sick now, see If you’re over 65, you might be missing this COVID symptom, according to the ‘study.

Fauci listed extreme fatigue as the first of the most common long-term symptoms of COVID. In an investigation by Survivor Corps – a Facebook group of COVID-19 survivors – led by Natalie Lambert, MD, an associate professor at Indiana University School of Medicine, researchers discussed their symptoms with more than 1,500 long-haul haulers to determine the 98 most common. According to their results, 100% of those questioned said they felt tired. And to learn more about your long-term risk, check out If You Miss This One Thing, You Are at a Greater Long-Term COVID Risk.

Fauci also described muscle aches and pains as a common symptom that can persist, which is consistent with what was reported in the Survivor Corps survey. Muscle pain was the second most common effect reported by long-distance carriers, with almost 67% of them showing the symptom. And for more on where you can expect pain, see why Ellen DeGeneres says it’s the “thing they don’t tell you” about COVID.

Disturbed sleep is also a common symptom of PACS, Fauci said. According to the Survivor Corp survey, 50% of long-haul travelers find it difficult to close their eyes. And for weirder and more frightening ways COVID can affect you, check out the terrifying symptoms of the long COVID that doctors are now aware of.

Fauci said PACS patients also frequently suffered from problems “where they feel cool or don’t regulate their temperature properly.” Although this is not a symptom tracked by the Survivors Corp survey, 29% of patients reported having a fever or chills long after they “recovered” from the virus. And for more COVID information sent straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

The last on Fauci’s list of long symptoms of COVID is one of the most disturbing and mysterious: brain fog, “which means they have difficulty concentrating or concentrating,” he said. Explain. Among long-haul people surveyed in the Survivors Corp report, 59% said they had difficulty concentrating. And to learn more about the factors that affect people with PACS, check out Almost All Long COVID Carriers Have This in Common, New Study.