For the average patient, COVID-19 is akin to a severe cold or flu, easy enough to recover from. Gone are the days of two-week long quarantines, international lockdowns, and the fear that comes with catching the virus. However, what may have been originally a short burst of coughing, fever, and a lost sense of taste can also result in far-reaching cognitive decline.

This kind of cognitive decline can severely hinder one’s ability to think, remember, and plan. 

Dubbed “brain fog” by its unsuspecting victims, it resembles a brain injury. 20-30 percent of people who catch COVID will experience some kind of cognitive symptom, with this “brain fog” being far more obvious and concerning in patients on the younger side. 

This is not just a symptom of patients who experience long-term symptoms that last far longer than the norm of a few weeks. While older patients were more likely to be suffering cognitive decline before catching COVID, therefore making detecting their cognitive decline more difficult, research studies have shown that patients of “brain fog” have a measurable decline in IQ.

In short: cognitive decline is far more obvious in younger patients.

Symptoms can range from issues with executing functioning to having difficulty forming new memories. But one thing is clear: the long-term ramifications of COVID-19 are ones that no one could have predicted.