long COVID

noun

variants or less commonly long COVID-19 or long-haul COVID or long-haul COVID-19

: a condition that is marked by the presence of symptoms (such as fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, headache, or brain fog) which persist for an extended period of time (such as weeks or months) following a person's initial recovery from COVID-19 infection : post-covid syndrome

The sickest COVID-19 patients are not the only ones to suffer from long COVID. Patients who had a milder initial case that didn't result in hospitalization can also have persistent symptoms.

—Stephanie LaVergne

Because of the growing number of long COVID patients, more hospitals are creating outpatient clinics with multiple specialists or expanding centers that initially focused only on patients leaving intensive care units.

—Meredith Cohn

Ceresa is one of a growing number of COVID-19 survivors with serious symptoms that last far beyond the acute infection with the virus. Some of these patients, often referred to as 'long-haulers' or people with long COVID-19 … are receiving treatment at … clinics like the one at Mount Sinai.

—Kevin Loria

… long-haul COVID-19 refers to the ongoing adverse health effects of coronavirus infection, which can last for weeks, and even months, after the initial phase of their illness has passed.

—Eve Glazier and Elizabeth Ko

Examples of long COVID in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adults with long COVID may have these 12 symptoms, study finds Doctors say most children with long COVID recover over several months, but about a third experience symptoms even one year later. —Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024

Key Takeaways New research has shown that people with long COVID may have a higher risk of low iron levels. —Korin Miller, Verywell Health, 13 Mar. 2024

But for people with long COVID, the illness remains a daily misery. —Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024

The University of Oxford researchers noted in their study that persistent COVID-19 infections, carried on by viral reservoirs, may be contributing to long COVID as well. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024

Long before the world had heard of long COVID, Sanna Stella experienced firsthand how a simple respiratory infection can shape-shift into a chronic illness. —Will Stone, NPR, 23 Feb. 2024

The following demographics have the highest rates of long COVID: Who is impacted by long COVID? —Sara Chernikoff Janet Loehrke usa Today, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2024

But then Jane’s Addiction was supposed to play Welcome to Rockville (in Daytona Beach, Florida in 2022) but Dave got long COVID. —Peter Larsen, Orange County Register, 7 Feb. 2024

The Canadian survey also found a higher risk of long COVID among those who self-reported two or more infections. —Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2020, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

long COVID

noun

variants also long COVID-19 or long-haul COVID or long-haul COVID-19

: a condition that is marked by the presence of symptoms (such as fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, headache, or brain fog) which persist for an extended period of time (such as weeks or months) following a person's initial recovery from COVID-19 infection : post-covid syndrome

… there's no clear way to diagnose long COVID and no standard treatment protocol. Some long haulers feel better after a couple of weeks following the initial infection, but then fall ill to old or even new disease-related symptoms that may affect multiple organs and systems weeks or months later. For others … their symptoms never fully abate after the initial infection; they just linger.

—Melba Newsome, Charlotte (North Carolina) Observer

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to release interim guidance for physicians treating patients with long COVID-19 …

—Congressional Quarterly News

… long-haul COVID-19 refers to the ongoing adverse health effects of coronavirus infection, which can last for weeks, and even months, after the initial phase of their illness has passed.

—Eve Glazier and Elizabeth Ko, Chicago Daily Herald

Long-haul COVID patients tend to exhibit the kinds of symptoms about which disability case reviewers have historically been skeptical, if not downright hostile. These include chronic fatigue, nonspecific body and nerve pain, headaches and persistent confusion known as "brain fog."

—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times