The 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines have been approved to protect against severe illness. This page will be updated to include information and resources for everyone 6 months and older to get vaccinated. These vaccines will be available in San Diego sometime in September and October.

Long COVID

This page was originally published 11/30/2023. Last updated 9/3/2024.

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Some people have new, returning, or lingering symptoms weeks, months, or years after having COVID-19. This condition can be called Long COVID, Long Haul COVID, Post-COVID Conditions, and Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). 

While rates of new cases of Long COVID have decreased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still a serious public health concern as millions of U.S. adults and children have been affected.

Long COVID is defined as a chronic condition that happens after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 and is present for at least 3 months. While anyone who get COVID-19 can develop Long COVID, including children, studies have shown that some groups of people are more likely to devleop Long COVID than others, including:

  • Women, 
  • Hispanic and Latino people, 
  • People who experienced more severe COVID-19 illness, especially those who were hospitalized or needed intensive care,
  • People with underlying health conditions and adults who are 65 and older, and/or
  • People who did not get a COVID-19 vaccine.

See below, or click the following links, to learn more:

Prevention

The best way to prevent Long COVID is to avoid getting infected, or reinfected, with the virus that causes COVID-19. Steps you can take to protect yourself and others include:

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  • Taking steps for cleaner air (like bringing in fresh outside air, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors).
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  • If you are sick with a respiratory virus:
    • Use precautions to prevent spread, and
    • Seek healthcare right away for testing and/or treatment if you have risk factors for severe illness. Treatment may help your risk of severe illness.     

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Symptoms

Most people with COVID-19 get better a few days, or weeks, after infection. People with Long COVID may:

  • Experience first symptoms around the time of first learning that they tested positive for COVID-19, or
  • Not know when they were infected and later developed Long COVID.

Anyone can get COVID-19 more than one time.Each time a person is infected, they have a risk of developing Long COVID. 

Long COVID symptoms can occur, last, get better, and occur again over weeks and months. Long COVID may not affect everyone the same way. Symptoms:

  • Range from ild to severe,
  • Require comprehensive care,
  • May result in a disability, and/or
  • Worsen an existing chronic condition.

More than 200 Long COVID symptoms have been identified. Some of the commonly reported symptoms are (not a full list):

General Symptoms

  • Tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life,
  • Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort (also known as post-exertional malaise, or PEM), and/or
  • Fever.

Neurological Symptoms

  • Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as "brain fog"),
  • Headache,
  • Sleep problems,
  • Dizziness when you stand up (lightheadedness),
  • Pins-and-needles feeling,
  • Change in smell or taste, and/or
  • Depression or anxiety.

Respiratory and Heart Symptoms

  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath,
  • Cough,
  • Chest pain, and/or
  • Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations).

Digestive Symptoms

  • Diarrhea,
  • Stomach pain, and/or
  • Constipation.

Other Symptoms

  • Joint or muscle pain, 
  • Rash, and/or
  • Changes in menstrual period cycles.

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Testing and Diagnosis

Long COVID is a serious illness that can result in chronic conditions requiring comprehensive care. However, there is no one laboratory test that can determine if your symptoms or conditions are due to Long COVID. Your healthcare provider considers a diagnosis of Long COVID based on:

  • Your health history,
  • If you had a diagnosis COVID-19 by a positive test, symptoms, or exposure, and/or
  • A health examination.

Clinical evaluations and results of routine blood tests, chest x-rays, and electrocardiograms may be normal in someone with Long COVID. People with Long COVID should seek care from a healthcare provider to create a personal medical management plan and improve their symptoms.

Talk to your healthcare provider if you think you, or your child, has Long COVID. If you do not have a healthcare provider and would like to get connected to one, call 2-1-1.

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Resources

County of San Diego:

Long COVID Recovery Programs and Clinics in San Diego:

California Department of Public Health (CDPH):

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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