Coronavirus 'long haulers' are sick for months. This doctor is one of them

Psychiatrist Dr. Scott Krakower was diagnosed with the coronavirus in April and continues to have symptoms more than two months later, making him what’s known as a “long hauler.”

Although Krakower said he's feeling better, he is not able to return to work.

“Each day is different. Some days are up, some days are down. I would say the mornings are better for me and then by 1 or 2 o’clock is when my voice and my shortness of breath kick in more and then it’s harder to do things.”

Krakower hasn’t had a clear answer about when he will recover or whether that may happen, although he takes solace in the fact that he is improving.

Krakower continues to try and shake off the symptoms, a signature of long hauling. It’s a trait that has been on display before with MERS and SARS, says Dr Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

“What we’re seeing is that this is a byproduct of the inflammation from the virus itself. In other words, dead fragments of virus elicit an immune response. And as a result of this, the body reacts and produces certain types of substances that can really have adverse effects,” Glatter said.

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Source: Today, 1 July 2020