Another Unwelcomed Wrinkle to the Pandemic.

• Position: LONG-HAUL COVID

Many people who have COVID-19 make a full recovery and return to their baseline state of health; however, some people have symptoms or other sequelae weeks or months after initial SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The constellation of symptoms and other effects experienced by those who do not return to their baseline state of health after COVID-19 has been referred to by many names, including post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), and long or long-haul COVID, explains Emily Erbelding, director of the Division of Microbiology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Symptoms can be wide-ranging in severity and duration, and may affect numerous organ systems. Reported symptoms include severe fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and shortness of breath, as well as psychological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression. Longer-term effects of COVID-19 have been reported in all age groups and demographics and in persons with asymptomatic, mild, or severe initial COVID-19...