The symptom descriptions for long Covid are too vague.
One study found that about 30 percent of people with influenza had at least one symptom that would qualify as long Covid in the three- and six-month periods after the acute illness, compared with about 37 percent of those who had Covid.
However, it’s been long known that many respiratory illnesses can cause lingering symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines long Covid as having “a wide range of symptoms that can last more than four weeks or even months after infection.” The World Health Organization sets the line at three months and says symptoms must last “for at least two months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis.” Both highlight fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction, brain fog, pain, digestive symptoms, depression, anxiety, cough, headache and sleep disturbances. Current definitions are so broad and imprecise that they impede understanding. Making matters worse is the general confusion that surrounds what exactly long Covid is. To add to their misery - despite centuries of evidence that viral infections can lead later to terrible debilitating conditions - their travails are often dismissed as fantasy or as unworthy of serious concern. They’re running out of savings, treatment options and hope. Many told me they have lost not just their health but also their jobs and health insurance. Long Covid sufferers who caught the virus early have entered their third year with the condition.
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