Post-viral fatigue is when you have an extended period of feeling unwell and fatigued after a viral infection. Fatigue is a normal part of the body’s response to fighting a viral infection such as COVID-19. Fatigue is likely to continue for some time after the infection has cleared. It can make you sleep more, feel unsteady on your feet, make standing for long periods difficult, as well as affecting your ability to concentrate and your memory.

Infections and viruses can significantly impact the respiratory system. Many patients suffer the effects of lung damage during an acute infection, including shortness of breath and coughing. This is likely due to a combination of the body’s exaggerated immune system reaction to the virus and blood clots that obstruct oxygen intake in the lungs. Fortunately, the symptom is usually short-lived.

For patients who go on to develop Long COVID, however, this may become a long-term symptom affecting quality of life. There’s limited research so far, but shortness of breath may be linked to interference with brain blood flow or problems related to the autonomic nervous system. As a result, many Long COVID patients have a dysfunctional breathing pattern.

Coughing is one of the most common symptoms of COVID-19, and for some people, a lingering cough can persist for months after infection. Studies show that as many as 5 percent of people infected with COVID have a cough lasting four or more weeks.

"I am going to take another round of Tollovid, because my sense of smell has been returning for longer periods more frequently in the last several weeks. I attribute it to Tollovid because right before I started, I had no taste or smell for 99.99% of the time. Now I am gradually smelling."

- Respondent #1029

Headache is among the most frequent symptoms persisting or newly developing after COVID-19 as part of the long COVID syndrome. Long COVID headache can present in the form of worsening of a preexisting primary headache, or, more specifically, in the form of a new (intermittent or daily) headache starting during the acute infection or after a delay. It often presents together with other long COVID symptoms, most frequently with hyposmia. It can manifest with a migrainous or, more frequently, with a tension-type-like phenotype. Persistent activation of the immune system and trigeminovascular activation are thought to play a role.

"Brain fog has decreased. Overall, I feel better." - Respondent #1096

Among people who were hospitalized for COVID, a wide range of problems with cognition have been reported. People struggling with the effects of long COVID may have noticeable problems with attention, memory, and executive function. Studies report these issues both in people who were not hospitalized with COVID and in those who were, as well as in people who had severe cases. Those who tried Tollovid reported benefits in their brain fog symptoms.