GREENSBORO, N.C. — The daily number of new COVID-19 cases continues to climb, which means more and more people are getting and recovering from the virus. But what does life look like after contracting COVID-19? That's what we are covering in today's 2 Your Well-Being.
Cone Health's COVID-19 Lead Physician Dr. Brent McQuaid said 95,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 since March 2020, over 6,000 of those required hospitalization. He also said we are in what feels like a whole other pandemic with the delta variant. Because of that, Cone Health has limited the number of visitors for patients in their main hospitals.
Those who had COVID-19 may have questions about what's next. First, Dr. McQuaid said even if you had COVID, you should still get the vaccine. It only boosts your chances of not getting the virus again.
When it comes to symptoms, Dr. McQuaid said the average person will experience them for 7 to 10 days. The most common lingering symptom he has seen is fatigue. Long haulers are patients who have symptoms for weeks or months after. Dr. McQuaid said many have long-term lung damage. If you think you are a long hauler, Dr. McQuaid said to talk to your primary care doctor.
People talk about getting back to normal or a new normal. When it comes to someone who has had COVID-19, Dr. McQuaid said to set expectations. It could take weeks or even months to feel better. The new normal will not come right away. At the same time, Dr. McQuaid said don't slow down. Eat healthily and exercise so your body becomes stronger.
With the number of cases starting to go back up and with the delta variant in the community, Dr. McQuaid urges everyone to get vaccinated.
"I've put more patients on life support in the last week than I had for the relative two to three month period from April through June. The vast majority are patients that require that level of care are patients who are unvaccinated."
Dr. McQuaid said there is a lot of hesitancy out there especially since the vaccine came quickly. He wants people to understand that over the last year he has cared for thousands of COVID patients at Cone Health while at the same time caring for zero patients who have serious side effects to the COVID vaccines.
