Medical experts say 25 percent of COVID-19 patients experience symptoms long after they are infected with the virus.
“What we’re looking for are patients who just don’t seem to come back to life,” said Dr. Dennis McGorry of the St. Luke’s University Health Network.
The medical community calls those people “long-haul vehicles.”
To treat the growing incidence of long-haul transportation in the Lehigh Valley, St. Luke’s has established a COVID-19 recovery clinic.
St. Luke’s says that about 85 percent of long-haul vehicles experience extreme fatigue. Respiratory problems, joint and chest pain, sleeping problems, mental limitations and brain fog are also common.
Anxiety and depression also play a role, as do worries about an irregular heartbeat.
“We have developed protocols and are applying them throughout our primary care team to make sure we don’t miss out on one of these very important medical problems,” said McGorry.
St. Luke’s says the clinic includes medical experts from a wide variety of fields, including physical and occupational therapy, and COVID support groups.
“We truly believe we are at the beginning of this. And that there will be a lot more to be discovered and a lot more that we can do,” said Dr. Jeffrey Jahre of St. Luke’s.
Contact your doctor for more information about the COVID recovery clinic.
If you are not connected to the St. Luke’s network, please call 866-785-8537, option 7.
St. Luke’s says it will work with all suppliers to ensure that long-haul travelers get the treatment they need.