List of famous people with long COVID

From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history

The 2019-2024 coronavirus pandemic has led to hundreds of thousands developing COVID-19, a significant number of these continue to have symptoms many weeks or months later, known as long COVID, also known as Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC).
These "long haulers" come from many different walks of life, ages, and races, including people without pre-existing conditions who had mild COVID-19.

Actors, musicians and artists[edit | edit source]

Name Occupation Nationality Diagnosis
Lena Dunham Actor American Dunham caught COVID-19 in March 2020, improving but still had long COVID symptoms in September 2020.[1]
Dave Navarro Guitarist from Jane's Addiction American Navarro caught COVID-19 in December 2021 and has been dealing with symptoms ever since. He self identified as a Covid Long-Hauler in People Magazine May 2022.[2]
Gwyneth Paltrow Actor, GOOP Founder American Gwyneth caught COVID-19 "early on" and was reportedly having Long-COVID symptoms in April 2021.[3] As of March 2023 she still had chronic symptoms and was seeing a functional medicine practitioner.[4]
Billie Eilish Singer/songwriter American Eilish was ill with COVID-19 for two months and was continuing to have symptoms in Dec 2021.[5]
Marianne Faithfull Singer and actor British (English) Faithfull caught COVID-19 in April 2020, and still had long COVID in June 2021[6]
Salma Hayek Actor Mexican Hayek almost died from COVID-19 and went back to filming while still suffering from some lingering fatigue[7]
Gez Medinger Filmmaker, science journalist and former runner British In March 2020, Gez Medinger's COVID-19 symptoms started. His symptoms include waves of fatigue he describes as "like you've been drugged", headaches, severe cognitive problems, post-exertional malaise and skin problems.[8]
Alyssa Milano Actor, singer, producer and author American Diagnosed with COVID-19 in April 2020 and needed hospital treatment in August.[9][10] She still had symptoms 2 years later in April 2022 and identified as a long hauler.[11]
Emma Samms Actor British Caught COVID-19 in March, was still ill in September[12]
Joshua Roman Cellist and Composer American Roman has struggled with Long Covid since 2020 and has had active Covid Infections 3 times. He is working through the experience in his newest work - Immunity
Dianna Cowern YouTuber American Developed severe Long Covid around July 2022[13] and had not recovered as of December 2023, requiring care from her husband.[14]

Athletes and sports personalities[edit | edit source]

Name Occupation Nationality Symptoms
Oonagh Cousins Rower British After 7 months with Long COVID, Oonagh was steadily improving but unable to train, with symptoms including fatigue and brain fog. She said "On the worst days you struggle to walk or cook a meal or compose an email... As time goes on, you are more able to see friends or go for a short jog."
"On the worst days you wake up, and you're like, 'I can't wait until it's night time again'.[15]
Grigor Dimitrov Tennis player Bulgarian Dimitrov described being almost recovered after four months "I feel way, way better - I don't even take naps any more or anything like that."[16]
Tanysha Dissanayake Tennis Player British Former British junior Tanysha Dissanayake has retired from tennis at the age of 21 due to the effects of long Covid, saying she feels “a million years away” from being able to play again. [17]
Chris Froome Road Racing Cyclist Kenyan-British Froome - a seven-time Grand Tour winner - said that Covid impacted on his heart and his VO2 max, which is the amount of oxygen someone can consume during exercise. [18]
Eduardo Rodriguez Baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, now with Detroit Tigers Venezuelan Developed fatigue and myocarditis after COVID-19, and was unable to play for the rest of 2020[19][20]
Michael Ojo Basketball player American Died aged 27 during training in Serbia as a result of heart-related complications. Ojo had appeared to have recovered from COVID-19 rather than having the recurring or persistent symptoms that long-haulers describe.[21]
Jonny Walton Rower British Walton described his early symptoms as: "My heart rate was massively up. We do do a lot of altitude training but it was like being at altitude and having to breathe through a straw... We got on the rowing machine and it appeared that my physiology had just gone overnight, and just kind of fallen off a cliff". He is now back in training and fully recovered.[16]
Jonathan Toews Hockey Player American He announced on February 19, 2023 that he was still suffering from symptoms of long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome. He offered no timetable for his return, commenting, "it has reached the point where I had no choice but to step back and concentrate on getting healthy."[22] On April 13, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson announced that the team will not re-sign Toews after his contract expires at the end of the season.

TV presenters, Authors, journalists and writers[edit | edit source]

Name Occupation Nationality Symptoms
Chris Cuomo TV presenter/media personality American Caught COVID-19 in April, and was still ill three months later[23]
Antony Loveless Military author and former war correspondent British Long covid left him partner disabled, struggling to walk, and "robbed of normal life", along with his partner. Loveless developed neutropenia, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), and chronic "covid tongue", and partner Claire Hooper developed type II diabetes, severe difficulty walking, and high blood pressure.[24][25]
Michelle Mone Baroness and politician British Mone reported that long COVID left her breathless and losing weight.[26]
Carol Voderman TV presenter and author British Struggled to walk more than 100 yards for three months.[27]

Politicians[edit | edit source]

Name Occupation Nationality Diagnosis
Andrew Gwynne MP Politician British Caught COVID-19 in March 2020, still ill and walking very slowly 6 months later[28]
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) Politician American Retired in 2022 due to Long Covid.[29]
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) Politician American Since 2020, still serving.[30]

Well-known scientists and academics[edit | edit source]

Other famous people[edit | edit source]

Name Occupation Nationality Diagnosis
Jazmin Grimaldi Daughter of Monaco's Prince Albert II Monegasque Re-hospitalized with COVID-19 a month after her first hospitalization[31]
Dianna Cowern (Physics Girl) Youtuber American Caught COVID-19 in July 2022 [32]and has been bed bound with ME/CFS, MCAS, and POTS since January 2023 [33]

See also[edit | edit source]

Learn more[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Denham, Lena (March 2020). "Update". Instagram.
  2. ↑ DeSantis, Rachel (May 31, 2022). "Dave Navarro Details His Experience with Long-Haul COVID: 'Fatigue and Isolation Is Pretty Awful'". PEOPLE. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  3. ↑ Pasquini, Maria (April 15, 2021). "Gwyneth Paltrow Says Her Long-Haul COVID Symptoms Have Been 'Pretty Wild'". PEOPLE. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  4. ↑ Lee, Bruce Y. "Gwyneth Paltrow Refers To Her Long Covid When Responding To Bone Broth Backlash". Forbes. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  5. ↑ Snapes, Laura (December 14, 2021). "Billie Eilish: I would have died from Covid-19 if I hadn't been vaccinated". The Guardian.
  6. ↑ McCormick, Neil (April 24, 2021). "Marianne Faithfull: 'I may never sing again'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  7. ↑ Malkin, Marc (May 19, 2021). "Salma Hayek on 'Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard,' 'Eternals' and Her Secret Near-Fatal Battle With COVID". Variety. Hayek knows about healing. She spent the better part of the past year recovering from a near fatal case of COVID-19, a fact she chose to keep quiet until now. During an interview over Zoom, she reveals that she battled the virus in the early days of the pandemic...
    Hayek spent about seven weeks isolated in a room of the house. At one point, she was put on oxygen. She still hasn’t fully regained the energy she once had.
    However, she returned to work in April to shoot Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci,” in which she plays a clairvoyant who was convicted of helping Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) orchestrate the 1995 killing of her ex-husband Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), an heir to the Gucci fashion empire. “It was not a lot of time,” Hayek says. “It was easy. It was the perfect job to just get back into it. I had started doing Zooms at one point, but I could only do so many because I would get so tired.”
  8. ↑ Thornley, Louise (September 19, 2020). "Covid-19's long shadow: 'The light at the end of the tunnel just isn't there'". RNZ.
  9. ↑ @Alyssa Milano (September 2020). "Alyssa Milano status" (Tweet). Retrieved September 23, 2020 – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ Mazziotta, Julie (May 25, 2021). "Alyssa Milano Says Long-Haul COVID Has 'Impacted Every Part of My Health'". People.
  11. ↑ Gaudino • •, Linda (April 22, 2022). "Actress Alyssa Milano Details Long COVID Battle: 'Every Symptom Imaginable'". NBC New York. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Dynasty Star Emma Samms Details Her Months-Long COVID-19 Symptoms, Like 'Panic-Inducing' Fatigue". People. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  13. ↑ Arenas, Jasmine (March 5, 2023). "YouTuber "Physics Girl" dealing with long COVID as her sister helps from Denver - CBS Colorado". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  14. ↑ Dianna Health Update from SmarterEveryDay, retrieved March 11, 2024
  15. ↑ Falkingham, Katie (November 4, 2020). "Long Covid: Oonagh Cousins, GB rower, on the effects". BBC Sport.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Scott, Laura (November 13, 2020). "'Long covid': Grigor Dimitrov on still suffering from coronavirus symptoms". BBC Sport.
  17. ↑ "FORMER BRITISH JUNIOR TANYSHA DISSANAYAKE, WHO PLAYED AGAINST EMMA RADUCANU, RETIRES AGED 21 DUE TO LONG COVID". Eurosport. October 17, 2022.
  18. ↑ "CHRIS FROOME REVEALS THE LONG-TERM IMPACTS OF CONTRACTING COVID-19 AT THE TOUR DE FRANCE: 'A HEAVY IMPACT ON THE HEART'". Eurosport. December 7, 2022.
  19. ↑ Morley, John E. (October 5, 2020). "COVID-19 — The Long Road to Recovery". The journal of nutrition, health & aging. doi:10.1007/s12603-020-1473-6. ISSN 1760-4788. PMC 7533666.
  20. ↑ Gleeson, Scott. "Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez cleared for physical activity after COVID-related heart issue". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Former Florida State center Michael Ojo dies after collapsing during training at age 27". CBS news. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Blackhawks C Toews dealing with long COVID-19 symptoms". Yahoo! Sports.
  23. ↑ "Chris Cuomo Is Still Fighting Lingering COVID-19 Effects". YouTube. July 15, 2020.
  24. ↑ Boniface, Susie (December 6, 2021). "Man 'robbed of normal life' by Long Covid after falling ill with virus alongside partner". The Mirror.
  25. ↑ "These are the forgotten victims of Covid. Think about them when you moan about Plan B". The Mirror. December 10, 2021.
  26. ↑ Hacon, Carly (June 15, 2021). "Michelle Mone drops another 1.5 stone after Covid battle and shows off results". The Mirror.
  27. ↑ Lewis, Isobel (June 14, 2021). "Carol Vorderman says she 'couldn't walk 100 yards' for three months after catching long Covid". The Independent.
  28. ↑ "The rise of the "long haulers": how long does Covid-19 last in patients?". New Statesman. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  29. ↑ "GOP Ex-Sen. Inhofe Retired Due To Long COVID After Opposing COVID Aid". Yahoo News. February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  30. ↑ Ollstein, Alice Miranda (August 8, 2022). "Tim Kaine has long Covid. That's not moving Congress to act". POLITICO. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Jazmin Grimaldi was hospitalised again for worsening COVID-19 symptoms". International Business Times UK. August 20, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  32. ↑ Dianna Cowern [@thephysicsgirl] (July 10, 2023). "Today marks one year since I got COVID" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024 – via Twitter.
  33. ↑ Dianna Cowern [@thephysicsgirl] (January 14, 2024). "It's been nearly 5 months of being completely bedridden" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024 – via Twitter.
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