Oh my! Patients who have had the covid infection are often finding that they do not “bounce back” fast. In fact, a significant number of covid patients have lingering side effects

The World Health Organization report found that up to 10% with COVID-19 still have symptoms 12 weeks (!) later.

• What are the symptoms?
  • Excessive fatigue
  • Cough
  • Chest pain
  • Shortness of breath
  • Brain fogginess with difficulty concentrating and with memory

The persistence of these symptoms may lead people to leave their jobs and it is known that prolonged absence from a person’s workplace is detrimental to physical, social, mental and financial well-being.

Ask your physician if she can write for appropriate workplace accommodations and adjustments.  Maybe your job or work environment can be tweaked for a few weeks to help your symptoms improve. 

Primary care physicians and occupational medicine physicians can help advise human resources or management leaders on return-to-work strategies.

The long-term health effects from SARS-CoV-2 infection are unknown.  Ask your physician for help.

Better yet, if you are unvaccinated, get vaccinated.  The vaccine greatly decreases your risk of contracting covid-19 and thereby decreasing your chance of long covid. 

Take care of yourself.