In February last year, the World Health Organisation said people with mild cases of COVID-19 usually recover within two weeks.
Now, over a year later, data shows one in ten continues to experience poor health for months after they first become infected.
It's a phenomenon health experts are calling 'long COVID', and it's being reported in harder-hit countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, as more evidence emerges.
Dr Stuart Tan, a Sydney physician specialising in trauma and rehabilitation, is among those Australians attempting to better understand the long-term impacts of coronavirus. He says 'long COVID' is more prevalent than expected.
There's emerging evidence from overseas that a large number of individuals who had COVID-19 are still experiencing symptoms months after the acute infection. In fact, there was a systematic literature review that was published a few months ago that put the number at 72.5 per cent. It's an overseas study. There have been studies as high was 87.9 per cent. So it's pretty much more prevalent than one would expect I guess.
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