Walk down the streets of New York City, and it might feel like most people have moved on from the pandemic. But COVID-19 isn’t finished with us.

Even though the most recent surge has peaked, cases remain high. The virus is still infecting 3,000 city residents per day — a level that hasn’t really budged for two weeks. This plateau is mirrored in the numbers of New Yorkers who’ve been currently hospitalized with virus — the daily tally has hovered between 700 or 800 since mid-May.

All of those cases are quietly raising the number of people dealing with long COVID — or symptoms that linger well after an infection has cleared. Studies are showing some connection between the initial severity of a person’s coronavirus infection and their chances of developing long COVID.

The vaccines appear to offer some protection, given they thwart severe disease but lingering symptoms can materialize even in people with immunity. A large, preliminary study involving 5.4 million people seen by the Department of Veterans Affairs shows reinfection still carries a significant risk of hospitalization, especially among people who aren’t fully vaccinated.

City doctors say that long COVID can be confusing — and sometimes scary — but also that people don’t need to suffer in silence. New York City Health + Hospitals, for example, has established an AfterCare program for anyone in need.

WNYC host Michael Hill spoke with Dr. Ted Long about what the program, which has severed hundreds of thousand already, can do for people. Long is the senior vice president for ambulatory care and population health at NYC Health + Hospitals and executive director of the NYC Test & Trace Corps. He is meeting with colleagues this week to discuss a substantial continuation of the AfterCare program to expand its outreach. 

Click listen in the player to hear their conversation, and visit Gothamist for more details.