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

When to See a Healthcare Provider Fatigue and brain fog can be symptoms of conditions other than long COVID. —Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 11 Sep. 2024

For some people, long COVID can begin a series of health problems that persist for months, or even years. —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024

There has been a 70% decline in long COVID cases since the beginning of the pandemic which is attributable to vaccinations, according to research from The New England Journal of Medicine. —Omer Awan, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2024

Catch up quick: Vyvanse, made by Takeda, is not only used for ADHD but prescribed off-label to treat patients with long COVID suffering from brain fog, fatigue and cognitive impairment. —Tina Reed, Axios, 5 Sep. 2024

There have also been studies concerning whether long COVID patients have blood biomarkers different from those who were infected with the virus but didn't develop long COVID. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2024

Vaccination also reduces your chance of experiencing long COVID, which can develop during or following acute infection and drag on for months or longer. —Don Rauf, EverydayHealth.com, 28 June 2024

Hospitalizations have, thankfully, not spiked, and the risk of developing long COVID is lower now than early in the pandemic, according to a recent study, particularly among vaccinated individuals. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2024

But the dip does not mean the risk of developing long COVID has vanished. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 25 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2020, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

long COVID

noun

variants also long COVID-19

: a condition that is marked by the presence of symptoms which persist for an extended period of time following a person's initial recovery from COVID-19 infection

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