Doctor: COVID-19 'long-haulers' not getting the attention they need

PHOENIX - The plight of the COVID-19 "long-haulers," those who feel long-term side effects after contracting the virus. They're searching for answers as their symptoms persist.

Nurse Sandy Iskandar says that she became sick with COVID-19 over the summer and now more than six months later, she's still experiencing the long-side effects of the virus. 

"It's unpredictable. You can be totally fine for a couple of days and then all of a sudden on the third day you forget how to tie your shoes," she says.

She's experiencing forgetfulness, shortness of breath, dizziness and headaches.

"Before this, I had no medical conditions whatsoever other than I'm a few pounds overweight," Iskandar said.

She hasn't returned back to work since June and the symptoms are frustrating and scary because there are no treatments to help her or the other people she's spoken to experiencing the same things post-COVID-19. 

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Dr. Katie Harrel, President and CEO of Agave Health and Wellness, says the long hauler syndrome isn't getting the attention it needs, saying most of the attention is on the number of cases and the deaths.

Many people are experiencing severe issues, she says, projecting a severely impacted society with long-term effects.

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"We don't know why this disease impacts some individuals as opposed to others. That's where we're still learning. We do know that there is a very active cardiovascular component to SARS and that certainly there can be some genetic risk factors and other underlying health conditions that have no been recognized before," Harrel explained.

Experts are recommending anyone who is experiencing these symptoms, such as shortness of breath and extreme vertigo, to go see a cardiologist to get tests done.