Why do some COVID symptoms last so long?

Here at Linbury Doctors, our private GP services cover keeping you up-to-date with the latest news. In this blog post, we look into the symptoms of Coronavirus and why they might vary from person to person. We all know by now that Covid is not your average cold or flu. In some cases, symptoms can remain for a long while after initial infection. So, why is this?

Research suggests that up to 87% of people with Coronavirus go on to experience symptoms related to the virus for more than a month after they were first infected.

For some people, their symptoms continue for months and for others, symptoms seem to come and go.

The British Society for Immunology states that, “Every individual’s immune system is as unique as their fingerprints, and so different people can respond to a virus in different ways.” However, some people can be more susceptible to severe effects than others, including the elderly and those who suffer with underlying health problems. This is because these people may have weakened immune systems that struggle to keep the response to particular pathogens under control.

On average, the time between catching the virus and experiencing the first symptoms is from three to 14 days. These symptoms can include:

Persistent, dry cough
Loss of smell
Loss of taste
High fever

If you, or anyone you’ve been in contact with, has experienced one or more of these symptoms, you may wish to book a COVID test.

The Theories

Long term symptoms of COVID (often referred to as ‘long COVID’) could be due to an inflammatory response, suggested by The British Society for Immunology’s report. As inflammation is a natural response to injuries, a Coronavirus infection could cause the body to flare-up this way, meaning it could take more time for the symptoms of the virus to lessen.

In some cases, the virus may have been cleared from most of the body, but continue to “linger in some small pockets”, according to the BBC. For example, if the virus is in the gut, there may be cases of long-term diarrhoea, whereas if the virus is in the nerves then people may experience loss of smell.

Some medical professionals believe that people suffer from long COVID due to an overactive immune response; this can also cause damage throughout the body, however this is not yet confirmed officially.

There are many theories surrounding why some people suffer from long-term COVID symptoms, however there are no definitive answers yet. The virus only emerged at the end of 2019 so therefore there’s a lack of long-term data. However, the BBC stated that “the number of people with long COVID appears to be falling with time”.

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