Researchers say long Covid symptoms can linger weeks, months or even years after you've been infected. Plus, the signs of long Covid can vary from the peak infection itself.
5 Long COVID Symptoms That’ll Help Explain the Way You’re Feeling
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Highlights
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By now, we’ve all heard about the sweeping range of effects COVID-19 can have. One of the most concerning is that some people continue to experience symptoms long after their initial infection. This is known as “long Covid,” or post-Covid-19 condition (PCC), as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). Research published in August 2024 in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Medicine estimates that more than 400 million people worldwide have developed long Covid at some point.
According to the WHO, long Covid is “characterized by a range of symptoms which usually start within three months of the initial Covid-19 illness and last at least two months.” These lingering effects can interfere with daily activities such as work, household responsibilities, and social participation.
But with flu season underway, an ever-lengthening allergy season, and plenty of other bugs going around: What are the long Covid symptoms that can help determine what you have?
Ahead, we share the long Covid symptoms experts say you should watch for. If you find yourself experiencing any of these signs of long Covid, speak with your licensed healthcare provider about how to manage…and hopefully feel better soon.
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You’re experiencing prolonged inflammation
An April 2024 study published in Nature Immunology found that people with long Covid show unique signs of inflammation that persist well beyond their initial illness. Compared with those who fully recovered, participants with long Covid had distinct inflammatory patterns detectable in their blood—markers researchers say could one day be targeted with immune-based therapies.
The body can experience two kinds of inflammation—acute inflammation and chronic inflammation. Acute inflammation occurs when the body is trying to fight off an immediate injury or disease, while chronic inflammation is when the body is in a state of inflammation over a period of time.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Covid-19 can trigger certain acute inflammation symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and shortness of breath. If a Covid patient is still experiencing symptoms after the infection period has passed (usually weeks or months after), this could likely signal that the body is experiencing prolonged inflammation. The NIH says this could affect around 2.5% of Covid patients and could lead to permanent damage to the lungs and kidneys, and potentially the brain.
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You’re experiencing “Covid brain fog”
According to the Yale School of Medicine, long Covid symptoms may include “a lack of mental clarity, poor focus and concentration, memory problems, difficulty with multi-tasking, and more.” The NIH says these symptoms can be the result of inflammation in the brain.
While there’s not yet a cure for brain fog from long Covid, 2023 research published in Neuroimmunology Reports found that a combination treatment of Guanfacine and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) relieved brain fog symptoms among a group of participants. Guanfacine is a drug typically used for patients with ADHD and other conditions by strengthening the prefrontal cortex connections in the brain and protecting it against inflammation and stress. NAC is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, also commonly used to treat this region of the brain.
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Your eyesight is poor
A 2021 study published in the Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research concluded that one in 10 Covid-19 patients have shown at least one eyesight problem after they’ve tested positive, such as dryness, redness, blurred vision, or sensitivity to light.
However, some neuroscience specialists believe that the damage to eye health from Covid could be even more widespread than what’s currently reported. While Covid-19 can cause particular issues as a patient is fighting the disease—like irritation, eye soreness, blurry vision or loss of vision, red eyes, floaters, infections, and more—doctors believe that neurological damage (particularly damage to the nervous system) can cause long-term vision damage. If you find your eyesight is poor after you’ve been infected with Covid-19, meet with an optometrist or an ophthalmologist.
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You’re experiencing chest pain, palpitations, or high blood pressure
Unfortunately, lingering heart problems have also been reported among people with long Covid. A February 2025 meta-analysis published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Medicine, which included data from more than three million participants, found that those with long Covid were significantly more likely to experience chest pain, heart palpitations, and elevated blood pressure than people who were never infected. Experts believe this may be due to ongoing inflammation and damage to the blood vessels and heart tissue triggered by the body’s immune response to the virus.
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You’re having trouble breathing
In a collaborative study between the Winchester Center for Lung Disease, the Yale Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program, and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, researchers found that some patients who have recovered from Covid-19 were still left with a marked reduction in their peak oxygen consumption.
Although the heart and the lungs were functioning properly, their ability to take in oxygen at the same levels as before they caught the virus had been impaired. Some of these long Covid symptoms tend to persist for patients (even if their case of Covid-19 was mild) for almost a year after diagnosis.
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Is long Covid permanent? Experts aren’t sure.
Long Covid symptoms can emerge, persist, resolve, and even return over time, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
While these symptoms can vary widely among individuals, 2025 CDC data show that certain groups appear to be at higher risk for developing long Covid. These include:
- Women
- Hispanic and Latino individuals
- People who experienced severe Covid-19 illness, especially those hospitalized or in intensive care
- People with underlying health conditions or adults aged 65 and older
- Those who did not receive a Covid-19 vaccine
Research is still being done on the effects and solutions for long Covid. There isn’t a single treatment that works for everyone. You and your healthcare provider may need to explore different approaches to find what helps most. The Cleveland Clinic notes that treatment may involve medications, therapies to restore smell and taste, physical therapy, or pulmonary rehabilitation—a program that combines exercise, education, and breathing techniques to improve lung function and overall quality of life.
Doctors have stated that people who have received the Covid-19 vaccine are less likely to develop long Covid—which, they say, is currently the best solution to prevent long Covid symptoms.
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Sources
- World Health Organization (WHO): “Post COVID-19 condition (long COVID)”
- Nature Medicine: “Long COVID science, research and policy”
- Nature Immunology: “Large-scale phenotyping of patients with long COVID post-hospitalization reveals mechanistic subtypes of disease”
- National Institutes of Health (NIH): “Long COVID symptoms linked to inflammation”
- Yale School of Medicine: “Potential New Treatment for “Brain Fog” in Long COVID Patients”
- Neuroimmunology Reports: “Clinical experience with the α2A-adrenoceptor agonist, guanfacine, and N-acetylcysteine for the treatment of cognitive deficits in “Long-COVID19”
- Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research: “Ocular Manifestations of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”
- BMC Medicine: “Prevalence of cardiovascular symptoms in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome: a meta-analysis”
- Yale Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program: “Despite Recovering from COVID-19, Shortness of Breath Persists”
- CDC: “Long COVID Basics”
- Cleveland Clinic: “Long COVID”
