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The Daily Insight

Can Covid change your personality?

Author

Mia Lopez

Updated on February 27, 2026

While basic personality tends to remain constant throughout adult life, conditions that disrupt brain function can induce extreme shifts in personality—and evidence is mounting that this happens for some people who contract COVID-19. Some patients have developed impulsive or irrational behavior, like Ivan Agerton.

How can COVID-19 affect the brain?


Among people who were hospitalized for COVID, a wide range of problems with cognition have been reported. They include difficulties with. attention, which allows our brains to actively process information that is happening around us while simultaneously ignoring other details.

How does the COVID-19 pandemic affect mental health?


During the COVID-19 pandemic, you may experience stress, anxiety, fear, sadness and loneliness. And mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, can worsen.

How long does COVID-19 rebound last?

So far there have been no reports of severe illness in those who have experienced covid rebound, and most people seem to recover and stop testing positive around three days later without needing additional covid-19 treatment.

How many times can I get COVID-19?

'A long-term pattern' According to some infectious disease researchers, Covid-19 reinfections are likely to become more common as time goes on and different variants continue to circulate—with some people potentially seeing third or fourth reinfections within a year.

Update 161: COVID-19 Repeated Infections: The Why and What You Can Do

Can you still test positive after recovering from COVID-19?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some people who contract COVID-19 can have detectable virus for up to three months, but that doesn't mean they are contagious. When it comes to testing, however, the PCR tests are more likely to continue picking up the virus following infection.

Can I get reinfected with COVID-19?


Studies suggest that reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 with the same virus variant as the initial infection or reinfection with a different variant are both possible; early reinfection within 90 days of the initial infection can occur.

What is a COVID-19 rebound?

COVID-19 rebound is when people with COVID-19 get better, then begin to get symptoms 2-8 days after they have recovered. They may also test positive again. There have been reports of this occurring with patients who were treated with Paxlovid.

What is COVID-19 rebound?

COVID-19 rebound is when people with COVID-19 get better, then begin to get symptoms 2-8 days after they have recovered. They may also test positive again.

What is the recovery time for the coronavirus disease?

Early research suggested that it could take 2 weeks for your body to get over a mild illness, or up to 6 weeks for severe or critical cases. Newer data show that recovery varies for different people, depending on things like your age and overall health.

What are some of the negative psychological effects of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Most reviewed studies reported negative psychological effects including post-traumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger. Stressors included longer quarantine duration, infection fears, frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies, inadequate information, financial loss, and stigma.

Is depression and anxiety associated with COVID-19?


We're seeing elevated rates of anxiety, depression and functional decline and cognitive changes lasting several months out. “The trajectory of recovery isn't clear yet, but short-term interventions are working to help COVID-19 survivors, even those with persistent symptoms and physical changes.”

Is depression a side effect of COVID-19?

While experts still need to study the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain, over half of a U.S. COVID-19 survivor sample reported symptoms of depression months after recovery, those with more severe COVID symptoms being more likely to have depression.

What can be done about brain fog from COVID-19?


While there's no one-size-fits-all treatment that can cure these cognitive difficulties, some rehabilitation strategies can retrain the brain to work on the areas that are most challenging. "Typically, it means going into work with a therapist initially once or twice over the course of a month.

How can severe COVID-19 affect the nervous system?


Some people with COVID-19 either initially have, or develop in the hospital, a dramatic state of confusion called delirium. Although rare, COVID-19 can cause seizures or major strokes. Muscular weakness, nerve injury, and pain syndromes are common in people who require intensive care during infections.

Which organ system is most often affected by COVID-19?

COVID-19 is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that can trigger what doctors call a respiratory tract infection. It can affect your upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, and throat) or lower respiratory tract (windpipe and lungs).

Should you get the COVID-19 vaccine if you already had COVID-19 and recovered?


If I already had COVID-19 and recovered, do I still need to get a COVID-19 vaccine? You should get a COVID-19 vaccine even if you already had COVID-19. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection to your immune system.

Can you get COVID-19 if you already had it and have antibodies?


It is important to remember that some people with antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 may become infected after vaccination (vaccine breakthrough infection) or after recovering from a past infection (reinfected).

Does Paxlovid have side effects?

“Paxlovid is usually very well-tolerated,” he says. Common side effects, which are usually mild, include: Altered or impaired sense of taste. Diarrhea.

Does Paxlovid give you a bad taste in your mouth?


If you notice a nasty taste in your mouth after taking the antiviral pill Paxlovid for COVID-19, you're not imagining it. “About 5.6% of people who took Paxlovid in a study reported dysgeusia, which is a change in the taste in your mouth,” says Shivanjali Shankaran, MD, an infectious disease specialist at RUSH.

How strong is immunity after a COVID-19 infection?


How Strong Is Immunity After a COVID-19 Infection? About 90% of people develop some number of protective antibodies after a COVID-19 infection, according to the CDC. But how high those levels climb appears to be all over the map.

How long do most people continue to test positive for COVID-19?

According to the New York Times, the omicron variant of the coronavirus moves quickly, with viral levels typically peaking less than five days after the virus is first detectable. However, some people will continue to test positive for the virus even up to 14 days later.

Is COVID-19 infectious after 7 days?

Most people with COVID-19 are no longer contagious 5 days after they first have symptoms and have been fever-free for at least three days.

Should I isolate and get tested if I have recovered from COVID-19 but I have symptoms again?

If a previously infected person experiences new symptoms consistent with COVID-19 3 months or more after the date of the previous illness onset (or date of last positive viral diagnostic test [RT-PCR or antigen test] if the person never experienced symptoms), the person should undergo repeat viral diagnostic testing. However, serologic testing should not be used to establish the presence or absence of SARS-COV-2 infection or reinfection. These people who have a positive test result should be considered infectious and remain isolated until they again meet criteria for discontinuation of isolation or of transmission-based precautions. Contact tracing during the person’s second episode of symptoms is warranted.

What are the common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine?

The most commonly reported side effects were pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, and fever.