Expert panel discusses ‘long COVID’

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — A panel of experts across the state and the country met Thursday to discuss what we know and still need to know about "long COVID", a condition in which some people infected with COVID-19 experience symptoms for an extended period of time.

The symptoms they experience can vary, but they commonly include fatigue, shortness of breath and brain fog.

New York’s Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett says that’s why COVID-19 is being called a "mass disabling event".

"New York was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States making us subsequently the center of the long COVID epidemic," Bassett said. "In response the expertise and understanding and treatment of long COVID here in New York State is unmatched."

Bassett also said New York now has a network of 26 post-COVID care centers across the state.