Covid-19 stole Lisa Merlo’s lungs, limbs — and nearly her life. But it wasn’t done. The 57-year-old West Deer resident continues to cope with the disease’s latest attack on her body: long covid. Merlo said she was told she had a 20% chance of living after a covid diagnosis in
For Sean Carey, long covid proved fatal. Carey contracted an early strain of covid in July 2020 when he and his wife, Meghan, lived in Daytona Beach, Fla. “He had pain that was too inhumane to live with,” his wife said. “He had tremors that were like lightning bolts going
"Stupidest thing I've ever done": A lack of urgency surrounding virus spread and boosters may be triggering additional long COVID cases.
Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images(NEW YORK) For decades, scientists have been studying why some people experience prolonged illnesses in the wake of even mild infections. Now, due to the millions of people suffering from a similar phenomenon after COVID-19 infection, new funding and research efforts are beginning to unlock some of the mysteries that can help explain long flu, long cold and long COVID.
According to Dr. Todd Ellerin, chief of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, about 8 million people suffer from complications of long COVID, which can include a fast heart rate, brain fog and chronic shortness of breath that persist months after initial infection.
However, post-viral illness is not a new phenomenon. Long COVID raises awareness of many other infectious diseases that are associated with post-viral illness, including infectious mononucleosis and Lyme disease.
"Regardless of the virus, an individual can continue to experience symptoms weeks or even mont