Medical experts say 25% of patients with COVID-19 experience symptoms long after they have become infected with the virus.
“What we’re looking for are patients who don’t seem to come back to life,” said Dr. Dennis McGorry, of the University of St. Louis health network. Luke.
The medical community calls these people “long carriers.”
To address the growing number of long-haul transport cases in the Lehigh Valley, St. Luke has set up a COVID-19 recovery clinic.
St. Luke says approximately 85% of long-haul carriers experience extreme fatigue. Difficulty breathing, joint and chest pain, trouble sleeping, mental impairment, and brain fog are also common.
Anxiety and depression are also a factor, as are worries about irregular heartbeats.
“We have developed protocols and apply them to our entire primary care team to make sure we don’t miss one of these important medical issues,” McGorry said.
St. Luke says the clinic includes medical experts from a wide range of fields, including physical and occupational therapy, and COVID support groups.
“We truly believe that we are at the beginning of this. And that there will be so much more to be discovered and so much more we can do,” Drs. Jeffrey Jahre with St. Luke’s.
For more information about COVID Recovery Clinic, talk to your doctor.
If you are not from the St. Luke, you can call 866-785-8537 from option 7.
St. Luke says it will work with all providers to make sure long-haul carriers get the treatment they need.