Georgia’s longhaul COVID sufferers wait for return to health years after state’s shutdown

A nurse prepares a syringe of a COVID-19 vaccine at an inoculation station in Jackson, Miss., in 2022.

Rogelio V. Solis / Rogelio V. Solis

Robert Lyle, a 44-year-old Woodstock resident, is a member of the Georgia COVID long-haulers Facebook group, an online community of Georgians who share resources like which physicians are taking new patients nearby and what medications help bypass their virus symptoms the longest.  

Lyle is like many members of the group who have had to either significantly reduce their working hours, retire, or face termination due to the long-term toll of the virus.

“I’m not able to work anymore. I’m not able to go to the gym. Most of the time, I do have good days, but there’s a lot of times where I might be stuck at my house for two or three weeks at a time,” Lyle said.