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Studying long haul COVID-19 patients
Evan Axelbank reports
TAMPA, Fla. - "It's almost as if I just ran a 10k," said Ryan Magill, a health care worker in Tampa, who was diagnosed in December.
Patients say they have lots of symptoms, but few answers.
"I still have no smell or taste," said Keri Ann of Lutz, who was diagnosed in September. "I have had seventeen doctor's appointments just in 2021."
Such is life for a COVID-19 long-hauler.
We spoke to three Floridians who have been battling symptoms for at least three months.
They're desperate to know: Will their symptoms ever go away? Could they become life-threatening?
"I still have daily fevers. My body aches, my muscle aches," said Jen Treat of Jacksonville. "Testing shows nothing."
Congress pledged to the NIH in December just over $1 billion to study why this happens and what can be done.
They want to find common threads among patients along with whether prolonged symptoms cause chronic heart or brain disorders.
USF virologist Dr. Michael Teng suspects ten percent of those who get COVID will have lingering symptoms.
"Once we know how it works, then we can attack the problem," said Teng. "But right now we have no idea how to do that."
It seems those impacted long-term have the virus embedded in organ tissues, like in the brain, that are not usually treated right away.
All three people we interviewed say fatigue persists.
"You literally forget what you are saying in the middle of saying it," said Treat.
Dr. Teng says there is some anecdotal evidence that a vaccine even after one is infected may lessen symptoms, but there is still so much to study about COVID-19 long haulers that it can't yet be considered an effective treatment.
"I can't do anything anymore, even walking my dogs is debilitating," said Magill.
The billion-dollar project will last for at least four years and include trials and research.
"I still have severe fatigue," said Ann. "I still have random spikes in my heart rate. Even when I am sleeping, sometimes it will shoot up and wake me up."
To learn more about the study, visit this link.