Will the Term ‘Long Flu’ Join ‘Long Covid’?

'Long' versions of many ailments have gotten short shrift, but COVID-19 may change that

Some experts argue that other "long" variations of illness, like the flu and Lyme disease, have often been overlooked.Vadym Pastukh/Shutterstock

Some laypeople, patients, and public health observers have begun using the term “long flu” as a way to describe long-term or chronic symptoms arising after the flu, mirroring the use of the term “long COVID” to describe the lingering effects of that virus.

Uncertainty surrounded COVID-19 in its earliest days, stemming from the fact that it was caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), and we didn’t know what to expect from it at first. We didn’t know exactly how (or how easily) it was transmitted, how deadly it would be, and if it would have lasting health effects for people who contracted it.