New Institutes of Health Study Suggests ‘Long COVID’ May Not Exist

A health worker takes a swab sample from a woman to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus at a swab collection site in Beijing, China, on May 3, 2022. NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images

People who report symptoms of a medical condition known as “long COVID,” particularly women, may actually be suffering from depression and anxiety, a new study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests.

Researchers based their findings on 309 participants enrolled within a 100-mile radius of Bethesda, Maryland. Of the total sample, 180 people had a previous COVID-19 infection with mild to moderate symptoms that did not require hospitalization; the study also enrolled 122 control participants who never had the illness.