Long Covid provides an opportunity to understand how acute infections cause chronic disease
More than 4 years into the global COVID-19 pandemic, widespread infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) has left millions of people around the world with Long Covid, which describes the constellation of post-acute and long-term adverse health effects caused by the infection. Evidence generated by the scientific community—with formidable contributions from patient-led research teams—has provided a thorough understanding of the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of Long Covid. Understanding the biologic underpinnings of this disease is also improving, along with evidence that vaccination and antivirals can help prevent it. Yet despite this progress, prevention efforts have stalled, there is uncertainty about governments’ long-term commitment to address research needs in this area, and there has yet to be a treatment option validated with randomized controlled trials (RCTs).