GREECE, N.Y. — As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, and new variants emerge, some of the earliest, most seriously affected COVID patients continue to struggle with their day-to-day lives. Overcoming it, for doctors and patients, is still a learning experience.

For Matt Jones, much of the past 20 months has been two steps forward and one step back.

“It’s a long time since I walked in a straight line,” said Jones, of Greece. “I’m usually just all over the place.”

Jones caught COVID-19 back when most of us called it Coronavirus. In April of 2020, he spent 12 days in a coma. When he awoke, he could barely move. The effects still linger.

“I’m healing,” he said. “I'm still healing. It's a long process, but I'm a lot better off than I was.”

Recovery has come in small steps. Jones does daily exercise to improve his strength and balance. He says he still has little strength in his ankles. It has been a long road to try to get back to where he once was.

“I could run,” he said. “Not fast, but could run before. Now I can barely walk.”

Such is life for many COVID long-haulers, the term given to those who suffer long-term effects of the virus.

“I think it's a mix of emotions,” said Dr. Celia Ransom, who chairs the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation department at Rochester Regional Health. “It’s frustrating that we're still at this point.“

Dr. Ransom says hospitals are struggling to treat the growing number of COVID patients. She says it hasn’t been uncommon to see patients in hospital hallways, as medical providers look for placement of people recovering from the virus. She says most patients she sees now are unvaccinated. 

Jones caught COVID long before vaccines were available. His lingering effects include trouble breathing, nerve damage, fatigue and trouble keeping his balance. Ransom says people are eventually recovering, but it’s still a learning experience for both doctors and patients.

“I think it's still a work in progress,” said Ransom. “But definitely we've learned from last year, how we can help the acutely ill patients, as opposed to where we were a year and a half ago.”

Jones says he appreciates the little things now more than ever. The husband, father and grandfather is well enough to return part-time to his job as a nurse at the local VA. 

“I’m working towards it, and I'm trying to work every day on it,” he said. “I’m not ready to hit the gym, but I'm working. I’m being healed.” 

His long road isn’t over. But it looks promising.

“Even if this as far as I go, I'm I'm happy with it,” said Jones. “Compared to where I came from.”