BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — According to the World Health Organization, 10 to 20 percent of people who have had COVID-19 have symptoms of long COVID, but how do you know if you are one of them?
7 New's Lia Lando went to Western New York's first long COVID center and spoke with nurse practioner Trudy Stern to find out what you need to know.
Lando: how do you know if you have long COVID?
Stern: There's a very long list of symptoms that people who do have long COVID might have but people who have other things might have it, too. So, differentiating between chronic anemia, chronic cardiac conditions, chronic lung conditions...those all are possibilities.
Lando: What are the symptoms of long COVID?
Stern: Debilitating fatigue is a big one. People who formally were healthy can't work. They get exhausted. The least little amount of exertion physical or mental knocks them out for hours or days.
Lando: You mentioned anxiety and depression, is that also a symptom of long COVID?
Stern: It could be, indeed it is. It also could be a symptom of depression and anxiety. So, our job is to sort out who has actually any of these underlying conditions and make sure that they are getting properly treated for them.
Lando: What are the treatments?
Stern: There's no known treatment at this time for long COVID per se so we're treating symptoms. We're treating chest pain and people who have palpitations. We can treat those symptoms just like we would treat any other cardiac patients.
Lando: Who is being sent to this long COVID center?
Stern: The way people get into the center is to register in the Western New York long COVID registry.
Stern says they have been open since June inside the Conventus located at 1001 Main Street, 4th Floor in Buffalo. They accept patients with and without insurance and are always looking for more grants to help cover the cost for those who can't afford medical care.
