Finally! These 12 symptoms define long COVID, say researchers

Although the COVID-19 public health emergency has ended, employers still are dealing with the lingering effects of long COVID in the workplace. Until now, there may have been as many questions as answers about how to even define the illness.

“If you look up simple questions like ‘how many people get long COVID?’ the answers are all over the place, because people define it differently,” said Leora Horwitz, a physician and co-principal investigator for the RECOVER Clinical Science Core at NYU Langone Health. “To really advance the science, we need a common language.”

The RECOVER Initiative, funded by the National Institutes of Health, last week released results of a four-year, $1.15 billion study in JAMA. The study, based on 9,764 participants, identified 12 symptoms of long COVID:

• Loss of smell or taste
• Post-exertional malaise
• Chronic cough
• Brain fog
• Thirst
• Heart palpitations
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Gastrointestinal symptoms
• Issues with sexual desire or capacity
• Abnormal movements (including tremors, slowed movements, rigidity or sudden, unintended and uncontrollable jerky movements)

Related: The ‘invisible’ disease? Some COVID skeptics fail to accommodate long-suffering staffers

The research is expected to help standardize the definition of long COVID and have a significant impact on how the condition is diagnosed and studied, said Leora Horwitz, a physician and co-principal investigator for RECOVER.

Researchers also cautioned that the findings are preliminary, and that it is too soon to use the symptom list to diagnose long COVID or determine disability benefits’ eligibility.

Employers can support and retain employees with long COVID by providing effective accommodations when needed. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, long COVID may be a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. As such, employers may have a legal obligation to provide accommodations. However, there are benefits to providing accommodations beyond fulfilling legal obligations, so employers may want to explore accommodations even when not required to do so.

Another way to support employees with long COVID is by providing workplace flexibility, such as telework and flexible scheduling, as a benefit of employment. Providing workplace flexibility can help all employees balance personal and workplace demands but can be especially beneficial to employees with long COVID who may be experiencing a disability for the first time. When flexibility is built in, employees with disabilities have less need to disclose personal medical information and request accommodations, making the workplace feel more inclusive.

Employers also can refer employees with long COVID to available organizational resources, especially when an employee is experiencing a disability for the first time. If an employer has internal resources such as an Employee Assistance Program or Employee Resource Group, they can remind employees that these options are available.