PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — One of the most surprising issues coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the seemingly random occurance of so-called long COVID. It is very real, according to health experts, but why does it happen?
Long COVID is the persistence of a wide range of symptoms more than 60 days after exposure to the virus — from diminished sense of smell to severe breathing problems.
There are two main theories for why it happens. The first is that our body's immune system starts to fight COVID-19 and continues months after exposure. Another theory is that the virus can persist in the body for months at low levels. It is not infectious, but symptoms linger.
KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
