In the five years since COVID-19 became a household term, our understanding of the disease and its community impact has evolved, as has our approach to communicating about COVID-19.
Among the millions of people in the U.S. who get a SARS-CoV-2 infection each year (the infection that leads to COVID-19), many experience long-term impacts that are more severe than the initial infection. These long-term health issues following COVID-19 are often called Long COVID.
In the following guide, developed in partnership with The Sick Times, you’ll find information about the lasting impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and Long COVID, as well as messaging guidance for public health communicators.
Social Media Graphics and Captions
Use the following sets of social media graphics and captions to:
- Increase understanding of Long COVID,
- Help prevent Long COVID in your community, and/or
- Learn more from community members who have experienced Long COVID.
Understanding Long COVID
This content aims to increase understanding of Long COVID, help people identify whether they have Long COVID, and provide guidance about managing symptoms and finding support.
Graphics
Sample Caption
- If you’ve experienced chronic health issues for at least three months following a SARS-CoV-2 infection (the infection that leads to COVID-19), you’re not alone. You may have Long COVID, experienced by an estimated 400 million people worldwide as of 2024.
Anyone can get Long COVID, and every person’s experience looks different. There are over 200 symptoms associated with Long COVID. And whereas some people may experience Long COVID symptoms from the time of their SARS-CoV-2 infection, others may not have symptoms for weeks or months after.
If you’re experiencing Long COVID symptoms, you should talk to a healthcare provider about how to manage them. [Insert information about how someone might identify a healthcare provider locally AND/OR point folks to this resource, which provides a detailed breakdown of how to navigate Long COVID]
Preventing Long COVID
This content aims to increase awareness of Long COVID as a potential long-term outcome of COVID-19 and reinforce how vaccination and other safety measures can help prevent Long COVID.
Graphics
Sample Caption
- Did you know that COVID-19 can cause or worsen chronic health conditions? It’s called Long COVID, and researchers estimate that over 400 million people worldwide have experienced it as of 2024.
Some studies suggest that the chances of experiencing Long COVID symptoms are higher if you’re diagnosed with COVID-19 more than once. But here’s the good news: by getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and practicing COVID-19 safety measures, you can lower your risk of experiencing longer-term symptoms.
[Insert resource(s) about how to protect oneself from COVID-19 – either local resources or this resource from the CDC]
Engaging People Living with Long COVID in Your Community
Learning about your community members’ unique experiences with Long COVID will help you communicate effectively about this topic. Consider developing a tool to collect this information from people (i.e., survey, digital form, etc.) and use this social content to promote the tool within your community.
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Sample Caption
- Long COVID is real and common, and we know that everyone’s experience with it is different.
Have you had or do you currently have Long COVID? Learning more about your unique experience will strengthen our understanding of how to increase awareness of Long COVID and prevent more cases here in [location].
[Insert information about how someone might go about sharing more information about their Long COVID experience. Emphasize that anything they share will be kept private unless noted otherwise.]
