Introduction
Within weeks of the first documented cases of COVID-19 in the United States in 2020, people who had been infected, from all backgrounds and communities, began reporting symptoms lasting or fluctuating for weeks, months, and—with the passage of enough time—years. “Long COVID,” one of the many terms used to describe this infection-associated chronic illness, is now estimated to affect between 7.7 and 23 million Americans (at the time of this report’s publishing).5 This number will only continue to grow as COVID-19 continues to circulate.
Long COVID is still not well understood by researchers, health care providers, and the general public more than two years into the pandemic. This lack of clarity worsens and adds confusion to an already difficult experience for people with Long COVID who seek visibility, validation, and ultimately, solutions.
This uncertainty doesn’t make Long COVID any less real for people living with it, their caregivers, family members, and communities. Based on the severity of someone’s Long COVID symptoms and other contextual determinants, such as their financial stability, access to health care, or presence or absence of a support network, Long COVID can cause minor interferences in someone’s daily life; or, it can be extremely disruptive, dismantling their ability to work, their sense of self, and their entire existence.
While a better understanding of Long COVID’s pathologies, diagnosis protocols, tests and treatments is desperately needed, action is needed now to advance solutions that respond to the urgency of this crisis and immediately improve the quality of life and care for people with Long COVID.