Long-hauler: A term created by Amy Watson, a person with Long COVID, in 2020, when she created the Facebook group “Long Haul COVID Fighters.” It is often used by people with Long COVID to describe the COVID-related health challenges and disruptions in their daily lives.

Opportunity area: Synthesized from our human-centered design research, we identify the major issues faced by the Long COVID community and separate them into specific opportunity areas for improvement. These opportunity areas encompass what work needs to be done to improve the quality of life and care for people impacted by Long COVID, based on what are the highest priority issues for them, as well as what solutions will have the most impact from their perspective.

Long COVID clinics: Care centers or clinics established to identify patients with Long COVID and deliver early multidisciplinary health care services, from screening for disease outcomes, early rehabilitation, and targeted specialist referrals. Multidisciplinary teams are from a broad range of specialties and focused on addressing the issues of COVID-19 recovery. Long COVID clinics may also be referred to using other terms, including Post-COVID Care Centers, Post-COVID Recovery Clinics, and Comprehensive COVID-19 Centers.

Severity: The nature and intensity of the symptoms and health impacts experienced by someone with Long COVID, as well as their duration over time. Some people experience mild symptoms, while others are physically and cognitively debilitating.

Subject-matter expert: An individual who by education, training, or lived experience is a recognized expert on a particular subject or topic.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): The U.S. federal government agency responsible for protecting the public’s health and providing important services. The Department of Health and Human Services works with state and local governments throughout the country to do research and provide public health services, food and drug safety programs, health insurance programs, and many other services.