Wash U has a clinic dedicated to treating long-COVID patients (Care and Recovery after COVID Clinic). They have seen 300 patients and currently have a waiting-list. /1

Trends they are seeing in patients with long-COVID:

1) majority of patients seen in the clinic had mild-moderate COVID and did not require hospitalization
2) previously healthy with no other medical conditions.
3) Average age of patients = mid-40s with a range of 30-60 y/o. /2

Spectrum of symptoms including:
- extreme fatigue
- brain fog
- headache
- chest tightness or pain
- increase heart rate
- every organ system can be involved /3

Other commonalities:
- profound decline in function in both physical and *mental* activities (don’t think as quickly, difficulty focusing on tasks)
- also changes in mood (anxiety, depression, PTSD)

Some patients had COVID up to 1 yr ago. /4

So for people who dismiss vaccinations saying that “COVID is just like the flu”, that is false. Most healthy people, do not have sustained functional decline once they clear the flu virus. /5

As Dr. Garza said in the briefing, in a pandemic nearly everyone either gets vaccinated or gets the disease. Why risk long-term effects of the disease, when you can get a vaccine which is highly effective at preventing the disease?? /6

If you’ve been vaccinated, talk to your friends and family about getting vaccinated. Even with a mild case, there is a risk of long-term effects. With a vaccine, they can not only avoid the nasty complications of COVID but also help our community move on from the pandemic. /7