Survey of specialized centers that are trying to treat Covid long-haulers

Inside 'post-Covid' clinics: How specialized centers are trying to treat long-haulers NBC News surveyed dozens of "post-Covid" clinics across the country to find out how they're helping patients recover from an illness with no known cure. NBC News

As the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. appears to be turning a corner, another health crisis is brewing: Covid-19 survivors struggling to bounce back to their former selves.

Of the more than 28 million Americans diagnosed with Covid-19, an estimated 10 to 30 percent — possibly as many as 8.4 million people — fall into the category commonly known as "long-haulers."

Despite the staggering numbers, there's no clear diagnosis, no standard care and no national guidelines for how these patients should be treated. There are hopeful signs, however. At special clinics around the country, a better understanding of the condition is emerging, according to a new analysis by NBC News.

NBC News identified more than 80 "post-Covid" clinics nationwide that are actively engaging with Covid-19 patients who continue to have symptoms months after their acute infection cleared. The 64 clinics surveyed by NBC News have seen nearly 10,000 patients — likely just a sliver of the true number of people affected by a condition only recently given a name by the National Institutes of Health: "Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection," or PASC. Millions of others may be seeking care with a personal physician or suffering alone.