DAVENPORT, Iowa — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says recovery from COVID-19 can take a long time, even for people who do not have chronic conditions.
Awareness is growing around people who suffer the effects of a COVID infection for weeks or even months -- like a Davenport mother and daughter.
"She's had a lot of residual effects," Cindy Harris said of her 52-year-old daughter, Melissa, who has Downs syndrome.
The two of them came down with COVID-19 in late March. Cindy said she believes her boyfriend Bill was exposed to the virus at his workplace.
"She was so sick that she couldn’t talk. She couldn’t eat," Cindy said.
After enduring a fever lasting nearly two weeks and severe body aches and diarrhea, Melissa recovered. Cindy was also ill, and still occassionally feels pain in her throat, but she worries more about her daughter.
"With hers, I feel like she’s really going to be a long-hauler," Cindy said.
Since April, Cindy says Melissa has had problems with her memory and can no longer tell time.
"Melissa has forgotten how to tell time, I had to buy big digital clocks so she could know what the time is," Cindy said.
Soon, Cindy plans to take Melissa to see a doctor in Iowa City to look into problems with her memory and other lasting symptoms since her illness.
"Every day, I do cry about this. Because I feel, we were in our own home following our rules, and we got sick," Cindy said.