With 200,000 COVID-related deaths reported in America, the coronavirus has been framed as a life or death disease. But a large number of people who catch the virus are also afflicted with symptoms that might last a lifetime, their worlds forever changed. And one worrying new complication has caught the attention of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He spoke with BMJ about the one new side effect we need to “keep our eye on.” Read on, and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had Coronavirus.

COVID Can Lead to Long-Term Symptoms

“What about ‘long covid’?” asked the interviewer. “The original coronavirus public health messaging was about vulnerable and elderly people. But with long covid, younger people who get infected can have this prolonged, multi-system illness. Does this change the message?” These folks have been dubbed “long-haulers” by the media.

“It doesn’t change my public health messaging, because I have always said that we’ve got to be really, really committed to preventing infection and preventing disease—that’s why we talk about universal wearing of masks, avoiding crowds, keeping your distance, outdoor better than indoor, washing hands—and we need to do everything we can to get a vaccine so that we can get this thing under control, because it is not something to be taking in a trivial way at all,” answered Fauci. FULL STORY HERE