News 12's Elizabeth
Hashagen was joined this morning by Dr. Harlan Krumholz and Dr.
Akiko Iwasaki, of the Yale School of Medicine, and Diana Berrent, the
founder of Survivor Corps, to provide answers to your virus
questions.
As more people get
vaccinated, there's a curious benefit emerging for so-called COVID-19 long-haulers
who have been dealing with symptoms since contracting the virus, such as
fatigue, shortness of breath and loss of taste or smell. Their symptoms are
easing and, in some cases, fully resolving after they get vaccinated.
In the absence of large
studies, researchers are culling what information they can from patient
stories, informal surveys and clinicians' experiences. For instance, about 40%
of the 577 long COVID patients contacted by the group Survivor Corps say they
felt better after getting vaccinated. Here’s what Berrent had to say:
What could the
alleviation of symptoms teach us about COVID-19?
There are some theories
as to why certain patients experience symptoms long after they contracted the
virus. Dr. Krumholz breaks them down: