Post COVID-19 condition (long COVID): Prevention and risks

On this page

• Preventing long COVID with vaccination
• Preventing long COVID with personal protective measures
• Other preventive measures
• Who is most at risk

Preventing long COVID with vaccination

If you don't have COVID-19 right now, getting the vaccine could lower your chances of getting long COVID. Even if you've already had a COVID-19 infection, vaccination can protect you from developing serious complications from COVID-19. If you received a COVID-19 vaccine previously, consider getting a booster dose to reduce your chances of getting long COVID.

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Preventing long COVID with personal protective measures

You can reduce your risk of long COVID by preventing a COVID-19 infection. Layer many personal protective measures for better protection. The following actions are recommended.

• Wear a mask, especially:
  • in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated settings with a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission
  • around people who were recently exposed to or have symptoms of COVID-19
• Improve your indoor air quality by:
  • opening windows and using heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems or portable units
  • using air filtration systems
• Gargle with mouthwash 1 to 2 times per day for short periods when the risk of COVID-19 transmission is high.
  • For example, risk is high when someone in your household has COVID-19.
  • Do not use mouthwash that contains chlorhexidine (this is a common type of antiseptic mouthwash).

Other preventive measures

If you currently have a COVID-19 infection, there are other ways you can reduce the risk of developing long COVID, such as:

• exercising as soon as you feel better
• taking certain medications as prescribed by a health care provider

Talk to your health care provider before starting these preventive measures to ensure this is right for you.

Learn more:

• Technical guidance: Prevention of long COVID

Who is most at risk

Current evidence suggests that some people might be more at risk of developing long COVID, including:

• females
• those with more severe COVID-19 illness, particularly if:
  • hospitalized
  • admitted to intensive care
• those with underlying chronic conditions

A few studies have suggested that long COVID may be more common in adults than in children.