Long-term effects

As COVID-19 surges again in Florida, symptoms linger in patients

“With COVID-19, this seemsto be happening regardless of the disease’ s severity, even in people who were never hospitalized. Those people are also reporting months and months of symptoms .” Dr. Nicole Iovine, an epidemiologist at th eUniversity of Florida

With Florida entering what health experts say is a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, many patients who contracted the virus during Florida’s first two waves continue to battle debilitating symptoms, a growing indication of the long-term effects of COVID-19.

Researchers estimate that at least 10% of coronavirus patients still have symptoms long after the virus has left their bodies. Known as

“long-haulers,” they include people like Karyn Bishof of Boca Raton, who tested positive in March during the first wave of the pandemic, and Beth Buckley of Delray Beach and Brian Bisch of Coral Springs, who had the virus in the summer during the state’s secondwave.

All three are still battling symptoms ranging from headaches, signs of autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue and neurological issues. As cases now surge again — Florida’s weekly average is up28% so far this month — and the rate of positive tests climbs, these long-haulers shed light on the affect the long-term toll the pandemic will have in the community.

Because the virus is relatively novel, research is still thin. But emerging data shows that there may be more long-haulers than previously thought, with perhaps as many as 20% of

CARLINEJEAN/SOUTHFLORIDASUNSENTINEL Karyn Bishof, ofBocaRaton, with her 11-year-old son, JayaniDelgado. Bishof contractedCOVID-19 inMarch and is still suffering fromdebilitating symptoms.