For most people, COVID gets better within a few days and you recover. For others, it can hit hard. Trouble breathing, high fever, and other symptoms can be intense. They can even put you in the hospital. It can take longer to recover. But even in those cases, COVID passes and you get better.
With long COVID (also called post-COVID conditions, long-haul COVID, and chronic COVID), your COVID symptoms don’t go away. You may have symptoms lasting weeks or months after first getting sick.
Not everyone with long COVID is affected the same way. Sometimes, the symptoms fade but then come back. In other cases, you get new symptoms down the road.
If you had COVID and still have symptoms 3 months or more after first getting sick, you may have long COVID. At UVA Health, our COVID care experts can help you live with and recover from long COVID.
Long COVID Care at UVA Health
Living with long COVID can be hard. You’re frustrated about your health and looking for answers.
While there isn't a cure for long COVID yet, we can help. Here, we can figure out if your symptoms are caused by long COVID. We can figure out the best ways to manage your illness. And, we’ll work with you to create a personalized management and treatment plan based on your specific symptoms and conditions.
What your care plan looks like depends on your symptoms. We can offer:
- Medicines
- Refer you to physical therapy
We can even refer you to psychiatric or cognitive behavioral therapy if they'll help you. We’ll work to get the best options for you.
What Is Long COVID?
Long COVID happens when your COVID symptoms don’t go away with time. You may have the same symptoms as when you were first sick. Or, your symptoms go away and later come back, or they might change over time. The symptoms may or may not be intense.
Long COVID symptoms vary. They can include:
- Tiredness
- Fever
- Trouble thinking or concentrating (or brain fog)
- Trouble breathing
- Heart problems, like pounding or too-fast heartbeats
- Chest pains
- Stomach pains
- Diarrhea
- Changes in smelling or tasting
- Other symptoms
Not everyone gets the same symptoms. Symptoms might also change over time.
You’re more likely to get long COVID if you:
- Had severe COVID
- Spent time in the hospital for COVID
- Didn’t get vaccinated
- Have other health conditions
But, anyone can get long COVID, even if you have been vaccinated. It’s important to talk to your doctor if your symptoms aren’t getting better or are changing over time.
UVA Health's Long COVID Clinic
The Long COVID clinic is by referral only. If you think you might have long COVID, your doctor can call the Long COVID clinic at 434.982.6843 for advice or to refer you to the clinic for treatment.