CARE AFTER CRISIS

Watson Clinic’s Dr. Kathleen Haggerty Opens Post-COVID Care Clinic

- TERESA SCHIFFER

By this point, you’re likely ready to be done with COVID-19. It has dominated just about every aspect of the year. While healthcare professionals celebrate the hurdles that have been overcome in the fight against COVID, there are fresh reminders every day that the patients who recover still need ongoing care.

Approximately 10 percent of those diagnosed with COVID-19 will suffer long-term symptoms for several months after their initial exposure to the virus. To deal with this new epidemic, specialized, multidisciplinary clinics have been opening up throughout the country to help patients recover from the aftermath of infection with the novel coronavirus.

Watson Clinic’s Dr. Kathleen Haggerty recognized a need for intensive postCOVID care early in the global health crisis, as she scrutinized reports of the disease coming out of China. She has now opened a post-COVID clinic in Lakeland to provide the necessary therapy for patients who have recovered from the virus but still experience lingering effects.