A lingering disorder that can last for months or years is affecting an increasing proportion of the workforce. The symptoms that contribute to Long COVID could be a result of pandemic measures and masking in particular. Increased exposure to microplastics, nanoparticles, chemicals in masks, and nasopharyngeal tests parallel many of the symptoms that define Long COVID.
Surveys among thousands of people suggest 7 percent to 30 percent of people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus experienced one or more symptoms for a period longer than 12 weeks. Some people who got COVID-19 early in the pandemic still haven’t recovered.
The syndrome Long COVID is complex as symptoms may fluctuate and people go through different stages. Symptoms have been protracted by patients at ICU and those with organ damage, but also occurred in people with only a mild infection.