CHICAGO, IL | September 14, 2021
Today, the American Lung Association launched a new support community called Living with Long COVID. This online community is for those facing long COVID and their loved ones to connect with other people in similar situations.
People with long COVID or post-COVID conditions are commonly referred to as COVID long haulers. This condition impacts numerous people in the U.S. who have lingering or delayed symptoms from COVID. Long COVID conditions include a wide range of new, returning or ongoing health problems that some people experience four or more weeks after being infected with SARS-CoV-2. Some individuals had mild COVID-19 symptoms or were asymptomatic (without symptoms) yet still experience long COVID conditions.
“We are still learning about the long-term effects of COVID-19. While most people fully recover, some continue to suffer from symptoms like cough, fatigue, joint and chest pain, shortness of breath and difficulty concentrating and sleeping, headaches, muscle pain and depression,” said Albert Rizzo, M.D., chief medical officer for the American Lung Association. “Since long COVID is a new condition and we don’t yet have a lot of information on treatment or duration of the disease, peer support and trusted resources are critical.”
Living with Long COVID is an online support community hosted by the Lung Association to allow those facing long COVID and their loved ones to connect with other people in their shoes for peer-to-peer support. In addition, within the community the Lung Association will offer learning opportunities like Ask the Expert events and share meaningful long COVID news and resources.
The Long COVID community joins the Lung Association’s ten other online support communities on the Inspire platform. Individuals can join as many communities as they want, which are free and convenient for people seeking peer-to-peer support to anonymously share health concerns and challenges with others for a variety of health conditions.
A link to the Living with Long COVID community, as well as our full list of support communities, is available at www.lung.org/community.
For media interested in speaking with an expert about long COVID or COVID-19, contact the American Lung Association at [email protected] or at 312-940-7001.
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The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, which has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Platinum-Level GuideStar Member, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org. To support the work of the American Lung Association, find a local event at Lung.org/events.
For more information, contact:
Jill Dale
312-940-7001
[email protected]
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