People in their 70s or older, like Piot, “are most likely to die from the virus, while younger people generally have a milder form of COVID,” Renuka Rayasam writes at Politico. “Survivors in their 40s, 50s, and 60s will likely suffer the longest,” experiencing serious aftereffects following more severe infections. The exhaustion and shortness of breath can make it impossible to return to work for a year or more, which can also lead to deteriorating mental health. COVID-19 survivors aren’t allowed to join the U.S. military, Rayasam notes.

Middle-aged survivors are “the group that we’re concerned about when we discharge,” Shari Brosnahan, a pulmonary and critical care doctor at NYU’s Langone Health, tells Politico. “If you were an active person with this disease and were in the ICU, your transition away from either being a primary breadwinner or taking care of kids or taking a trip in your retirement, those are things that have been taken away from you.”