New data suggest that symptoms of “long COVID” last up to 9 months: Fauci

Anthony FauciAnthony Fauci Overnight healthcare: COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers pledge to increase mass supply | Biden ‘s health candidate faces first Senate test The White House advocates reopening facilities for migrant children New Yorkers should fold their masks until at least June., the country’s top infectious disease expert, announced Wednesday that recently published data suggest long-term symptoms associated with COVID-19 may persist for nearly nine months after infection.

Fauci shared the findings of research conducted by the University of Washington during a White House briefing on the new coronavirus. He stated that almost 30% of patients reported symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disorders and shortness of breath for months.

Researchers have referred to the symptoms as post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), which can often develop some time after the initial infection and can range from mild to “disabling,” Fauci said.

“The magnitude of the problem is not entirely known,” Fauci said.

He also noted that people who did not have to be hospitalized as a result of contracting COVID-19 or who had symptoms not associated with their infection also reported PASC.

Early studies on the long-term effects of COVID-19 in people who may have even experienced mild cases have shown harmful effects such as decreased lung function and damage to the heart, kidneys and other organs.

Fauci said National Institutes of Health is beginning to study the “long COVID” in an effort to identify its causes and possible treatments.