The Long Road Back: Mobility, Lung Issues in People with Long-Haul COVID-19

• Researchers say people with long-term COVID-19 symptoms are now reporting mobility difficulties and lung issues.
• They note that these long-haul symptoms aren’t limited to people who were hospitalized.
• These long-term symptoms are affecting worker productivity as well as adding extra stress to our healthcare system, researchers say.

More than half of people hospitalized with COVID-19 still experience diminished lung function and mobility problems 4 months after being discharged.

A study published last week followed 238 people in Northern Italy who had COVID-19 and were hospitalized between March and June.

“Little is known about the lasting effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in survivors of COVID-19. In this cohort study, we found that a significant proportion of survivors of COVID-19 experienced respiratory or functional impairment 4 months after hospital discharge,” the study authors wrote.

The researchers stated that 52 percent of the study participants had less than 80 percent normal lung function. In addition, 16 percent of the participants had less than 60 percent normal lung function.

Another 54 percent reported difficulty walking.