In today’s report I focus on long-haul COVID

In today’s report I focus on long-haul COVID – a major aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic that has not received the attention it deserves.

The popular conception of COVID-19 is that some people get very sick and hospitalized, while the majority have transient symptoms that disappear after a couple of weeks. That some people – even some who may have not been very sick to start with – remain with burdensome symptoms for long periods of time remains a little understood aspect of the pandemic. It also challenges our view of COVID-19 as a respiratory illness. The reality is that the virus can cause liver, heart and/or kidney damage, dangerous blood clots, brain problems, and more. The impacts on affected individuals, families, society and the economy of COVID as a chronic condition – which will not end with the pandemic – are substantial. I hope this report will facilitate deeper engagement with such a challenging issue. 

Read next two articles on long-haul COVID: (1) an article on prolonged brain dysfunction in COVID-19 survivors, and (2) the summary of a major study of patients with long-haul COVID.