Analysis: research into the causes and treatments of long Covid will be needed long after the outbreak itself has subsided By Frances Williams, King's College London For most people, infection with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes Covid-19 – leads to mild, short-term symptoms, acute respiratory illness, or possibly no symptoms at all.
But some people have long-lasting symptoms after their infection – this has been dubbed "long Covid". Scientists are still researching long Covid.
It's not well understood, though our knowledge about it is growing. Here I take a look at what we've learned about it so far – who is at risk, how common it is and what its effects are.