Have you had COVID? SLO County Public Health wants to hear from you — and this is why
The San Luis Obispo Public Health Department is asking community members who tested positive for COVID-19 to help them better understand the impacts of long COVID by taking a survey.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, at least 59,000 COVID-19 infections have been recorded in San Luis Obispo County, according to Public Health Department data.
This number is likely an undercount, as the only positive tests that are counted by Public Health are those conducted at a community testing site or recorded at a doctor’s office, according to a news release from Public Health.
People who tested positive for COVID at those sites will receive a text message from the Public Health Department asking them to participate in a survey, the release said.
Participation in the survey is voluntary, but the results will be used to better understand long COVID and dedicate more resources to help county residents, according to the release.
“This follow-up is really about understanding how this virus is affecting residents’ health over the long term, including people who had severe, mild or even no symptoms,” SLO County Public Health Epidemiologist Jessie Burmester said in the release. “Nationally, researchers are learning more about what we now call long COVID — but we don’t have robust local data to put this in context. The feedback residents share will help us understand any emerging problems and identify resources to address them.”
Community members can take the survey by visiting slopublichealth.org/longcovid and clicking “Share your experience.”
What is long COVID?
Long COVID is typically defined as persistent or new symptoms that develop roughly four-weeks after a severe, mild or asymptomtiac COVID infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Research indicates people with preexisting asthma or diabetes are at increased risk for developing long COVID, according to Public Health.
Long COVID is common. Research from the CDC shows 1 in 5 people ages 18 to 64 years and 1 in 4 people ages 65 or older had post-COVID symptoms after their initial infection, according to a May report from the CDC.
Some children with pediatric COVID-19 infections also reported long COVID symptoms, according to Public Health.
Not everyone who has long COVID experiences it the same way.
The general symptoms of long COVID are fever and tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life or gets worse after physical or mental effort, the CDC said.
But the symptoms of long COVID go beyond becoming easily tired. Some people report difficulty breathing, cough, heart palpitations, brain fog, headache, depression and anxiety, joint pain, diarrhea or stomach pain and more.
What are resources for long COVID support?
Support groups for adults and children with long COVID symptoms have cropped up as more and more people experience it nationwide.
For those who are experiencing long COVID, SLO County Public Health compiled a list of support groups:
- Survivor Corps
- Long COVID Alliance
- Body Politic
- Long COVID Kids (link para español)
- ICUDelirium.org (link para español)
Do you have long COVID? The Tribune wants to speak with you
The prevalence of long COVID in San Luis Obispo County is currently unknown, but we want to learn how living with the lingering side effects of COVID-19 may have impacted the lives of impacted community members.
Fill out the form below to share your story and help us shape our COVID-19 coverage moving forward. You can also fill out the form at bit.ly/slolongcovid.
