Cincinnati Edition: COVID 'long haulers' face symptoms months after contracting virus

WVXU reporter Michael Monks spoke with Northside resident Christine Wilson who continues to recover from the effects of COVID-19 almost six months after her first diagnosis. She relies on oxygen and steroids and finds she has to budget her energy and ability to interact.  Wilson says she able to do 10 minutes of activity for basically every hour of work. She is one of thousands of people across the country who continue to experience lingering symptoms after contracting COVID-19.

Richard Becker, MD, director of the UC Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute, also spoke with WVXU for the segment about his interaction with former COVID patients who are still battling health ailments related to fighting off the pandemic. Becker said worldwide there are 80 million known cases of COVID-19 and 1.7 million who died as a result. That means more than 78 million people have survived infection including 600,000 in the state of Ohio. Becker says 70 percent of individuals under age 50 and suffering from COVID-19 and without pre-existing condition such as high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes will continue to have symptoms four to five months after their initial symptoms.

Listen to the full WVXU interview online (Richard Becker, MD, begins 14:30 minutes into the segment).