About 20% of people who were hospitalized with COVID-19 have experienced hair loss, and those who had more mild infections have also reported hair shedding following an infection.
Some healthcare providers are telling people to wait for the hair to grow back, in case the shedding is temporary, according to the New York Times, while others are prescribing topical or oral minoxidil, which is the active ingredient in Rogaine. They are less likely to recommend hair-loss supplements or special shampoos.
“The majority of people do, ultimately, grow their hair back,” Brian Abittan, director of skin and hair rejuvenation at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, told ABC News in October. “It just takes time.”
Hair loss is just one of the symptoms associated with long COVID that can include brain fog and dizziness. Up to 30% of COVID-19 patients report brain-fog symptoms three months after an infection, the Atlantic has reported.
Other COVID-19 news to know:
- COVID-19 cases in Europe are rising in 14 of the 26 countries in the European Union, according to CIDRAP. “Changes in population mixing following the summer break are likely to be the main driver of these increases, with no indication of changes in the distribution of circulating variants,” the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said.
- Hong Kong this week lifted its mandatory three-day hotel quarantine and announced a global banking summit in November in a bid “to revive Hong Kong’s status as an international business and travel hub,” according to CNN.
- The seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. was 46,696 on Sunday, according to a New York Times tracker. That’s down 24% from two weeks ago, and the lowest total since April 24. Hospitalizations are at 27,990, the lowest total since June 1. There are still about 400 deaths a day in the U.S.
Tomi Kilgore contributed.
