Even after recovering from COVID-19, people continue to feel many symptoms

To date almost 25,000 Australians have recovered from COVID-19, but some say it hasn't left them completely, with symptoms from fatigue to tooth aches, a loss of balance and even hair loss. For some people this lasts a few weeks, for others it lasts months.

Representative image of a woman who has recovered from COVID-19 Source: Creative Commons

A collection of people who are experiencing mysterious long-term effects of COVID-19 are being called "long-haulers". The most common of these are difficulty concentrating, low mood and fatigue. 

General Practitioner Charlotte Hespe says these symptoms are similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which some people can develop after a viral infection. The hair loss, however, is thought to be the body's reaction to a health scare.

"What seems to happen is the hair growth cycle gets paralysed in particular phase at which it falls out. If you look at the hair that falls out you even have the little bulb it sits in when it is growing. You then have to wait for whatever part of your body to go 'ok I can do this again, it is all right' and hair growth returns to normal."

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Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
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