BMJ, examined the elevated risk of developing a new health condition following a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment.Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 cases constituted a pandemic more than 1 year ago, just over 164 million people have contracted the underlying virus, and 3.4 million people have died as a result.
Many with the infection are asymptomatic, but others have symptoms that can range from mild to severe. The virus has overwhelmed the healthcare systems of some countries, with hospital intensive care units filled beyond capacity due to the number of severely ill COVID-19.