When Deborah Shaffer tried to return to work two weeks after the Covid-19 infection, she forgot what floor the veteran’s hospital was working on. It was one of the many strange expressions of brain fog that plagued the social worker in Wichita, Canada, since she contracted the virus last November.
Mrs. Shaffer is a long-haul carrier from Covid, someone who suffers from chronic symptoms for weeks or months after the initial infection. After the first failed attempts to return to the hospital, she has not worked a full day since she became ill and has no idea if or when she will return in person.
“I’m a trained therapist and clinical social worker, but I can’t complete even the most basic tasks I’ve had before,” says Ms. Shaffer, 52. .
It is not easy for Covid long distance carriers to get back to work. Scientists are just beginning to understand the mysteries of chronic Covid, also called long Covid or post-acute Covid. It can cause several symptoms after the initial infection, including severe fatigue, cognitive problems, digestive problems, erratic heart rhythms, headaches, dizziness, and fluctuating blood pressure.
It is unclear how many people suffer from long-term symptoms. But studies suggest it is a significant part of the more than 107 million people with confirmed cases worldwide. 26% of the 1,733 Chinese Covid patients discharged from a Wuhan hospital between January and May 2020 were still experiencing fatigue six months after the acute infection, according to a study published in the Lancet in January.