San Luis Obispo County Public Health looking to understand the long-term impacts of COVID-19

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department has created a survey for residents who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 in order to better understand the long-term health impacts of the virus.

“This follow-up is really about understanding how this virus is affecting residents’ health over the long term, including people who had severe, mild, or even no symptoms,” said Jessie Burmester, county public health epidemiologist. “Nationally, researchers are learning more about what we now call Long COVID— but we don’t have robust local data to put this in context. The feedback residents share will help us understand any emerging problems and identify resources to address them.”

Long COVID are symptoms that can occur weeks or even months after the initial infection. The symptoms may be new, returning, or lingering from the original illness, according to the Public Health Department.

The more than 50,000 residents who have tested positive for the virus through reported channels at any point over the course of the pandemic will receive a text message link to the follow-up questions in the survey, and those who tested positive with at-home tests can answer the questions online by clicking here.

All of the responses are confidential.