WVXU: A mounting number of COVID patients continue to report lingering aftereffects
UC expert says long-haul COVID-19 patients can experience symptoms for as long as 18 months
More and more people who contract COVID-19 are experiencing symptoms for an extended period of time. In a story on this produced by WVXU, Richard Becker, MD, professor and director, UC Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute and UC Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease, who runs a long COVID clinic at UC Medical Center, said some patients are seeing symptoms last as long as a year and a half.
Richard Becker, MD, professor and director, UC Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute and UC Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease/Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand
"We have patients who have been hospitalized and then either their recovery is very long or they seem to have a change in symptoms that represent what we call post-COVID conditions," Becker said. "I would say of the several hundred people that we’ve seen in our clinic, a majority of them have had mild or moderate intensity symptoms, but then they have varied symptoms, up to 100 different kinds of symptoms that can last for three, six, nine, 12, 18 months."
Becker said one ongoing unknown is whether or not these patients are contagious.
"We don't know the answer to that," Becker said. "We believe that people are not contagious, but there is certainly a great deal of thought being put into having reservoirs of virus within the body that continue to generate symptoms through triggering of the immune response.
Lead photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand
Next Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is classified as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Commission and is ranked in the National Science Foundation's Top-35 public research universities. UC's medical, graduate and undergraduate students and faculty investigate problems and innovate solutions with real-world impact. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
University of Cincinnati Cancer Center names David Gius, MD, PhD, as director
February 10, 2026
Following a highly competitive national search, the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center has appointed David Gius, MD, PhD, as its next director.
Breakthrough UC study sheds light on survival of new neurons in adult brain
February 9, 2026
Research from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, recently published in the journal Nature Communications, is revealing how immune cells in the adult brain regulate the generation of new neurons.
Will AI really replace your job?
February 6, 2026
As artificial intelligence seeps into more careers, some people wonder if any jobs will become obsolete in the coming years, according to 700WLW. Jeffrey Shaffer, director of Lindner College of Business’ Applied AI Lab, spoke with 700WLW on the future of AI in the workplace.