Long Covid is known by many names including Post Covid,, long-haul Covid, post-acute Covid-19, post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC), long-term effects of Covid, and chronic Covid.

Long Covid can include a wide range of ongoing health problems and these conditions can last weeks, months, or years. It can be difficult to diagnose and some people might not realize that their symptoms are in fact indicative of having Long Covid. In addition, people who were not aware that they had an asymptomatic Covid-19 infection may also not suspect they have Long Covid.

In July 2021, Long Covid was added as a recognized condition that could result in a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA.

Long Covid can be difficult to diagnose, and some people might not realize their symptoms could be linked to prior Covid-19 infection.

There can be more than 200 symptoms
Symptoms can affect anywhere in the body
Symptoms can come and go, and new ones can appear weeks or months later
People may not be aware they had Covid-19: some don’t have symptoms at the time of infection, and test results can be unreliable

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, common Long Covid symptoms include severe chronic fatigue, brain fog (loss of executive function), organ damage, lightheadedness when standing, difficulty concentrating, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, pins and needles pain, muscle pain, sleep issues, depression, and anxiety.

Not at all. Long Covid can impact healthy people, healthy kids, and healthy seniors as well as those with underlying health conditions. Some patients who develop Long Covid may have had asymptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2 so they and their doctors may not even realize that the symptoms they are presenting with might be Long Covid.

Long Covid Awareness Day takes place annually on the first Thursday of June. In 2023, it will fall on June 8.

Long Covid Awareness Day was created by the Center for Long Covid Research and researchers across the globe who want to educate the public about the “complex medical discorder,” as it was described by researchers in the United States published in 2021 in the International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology.

The day will be marked with an online symposium open to the public sponsored by the Center for Long Covid Research.

In 2023, the Center will release the findings from a global survey of thousands of Long Covid patients documenting and categorizing their symptoms.