Abstract Background Healthy walking is a moderate aerobic exercise with a step frequency of more than 100 steps per minute. This study aims to assess the impact of Healthy Walking, a novel form of physical activity, on the severity and course of COVID-19 among patients aged from 18 to 65 years old. Methods This cross-sectional study included 1,128 adult participants who completed the questionnaire after recovering from the first wave of COVID-19 infections following China`s modification of its prevention policy. The survey questions included their health status when suffering from COVID-19, basic sociodemographic data, and medical history concerning chronic conditions and lifestyle. A multiple logistic regression model and linear regression model were used to evaluate the dependent variable that reflects the severity of COVID-19 infection. Results Among the 1,128 adult participants, the mean age was 39.93 ± 10.18 (IQR: 31.75-48), and 407 (36.08%) were male. Participants who walked up to 300 min per week had a negative association with COVID-19 (OR: 0.562, 95% CI: 0.41–0.863). Receiving three vaccine doses was negatively associated with severe COVID-19 (OR: 0.289, 95% CI:0.092–0.742) compared with receiving only one dose. Females (OR: 1.935, 95% CI:1.475–2.540) had a positive association with severe COVID-19, also a high incidence of co-habitatants was also positively associated (OR: 2.741, 95% CI:1.284–5.881) In the linear model assessing risk factor affecting the course of COVID-19, habitual Healthy Walking ( $$\:\beta\:$$ =-0.433, $$\:p$$ =0.004) was linked to a reduced disease duration after adjusting all significant risk factors. Conclusions Regular Healthy Walking may help alleviate symptoms and speed up recovery. Therefore, incorporating walking into other physical exercise may reduce COVID-19 symptom severity and speed up COVID-19 recovery.