What is Long COVID? Whilst COVID-19 symptoms subside in the majority of patients after a couple of weeks, there is an emerging group of people who suffer long-term effects of the infection. This newly emerging condition has been dubbed long COVID and describes people who experience prolonged symptoms for 4 weeks or longer. Affecting about one-in-five people who test positive for COVID-19, the implications and consequences of the syndrome present a growing global health concern. Fatigue and breathlessness are common long-term effects of COVID-19. Image Credit: Image Point Fr / Shutterstock.com What is long COVID? The majority of people who become infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) will go on to develop mild to moderate COVID-19 and will recover fully in 2-4 weeks.