Long COVID: An Explainer and Research Roundup

Researchers are working to better understand the physical and mental health problems some people can experience long after first getting infected with COVID-19. We've summarized what's known so far about the collection of symptoms known as long COVID.

The CDC says long COVID is a wide range of new, returning or ongoing physical and mental health problems people can experience four or more weeks after first getting infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Shutterstock

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, researchers are learning more about the long-term effects of the infection and about a collection of symptoms and complications commonly called long COVID.

Shortness of breath, fatigue and “brain fog” are among the most common symptoms of long COVID. For some, these symptoms persist after getting infected with coronavirus. For others, new complications arise weeks or months later.