‘Long Covid’: Why are some people not recovering?

For most people, Covid-19 is a brief and mild disease but some are left struggling with symptoms including lasting fatigue, persistent pain and breathlessness for months.

The condition known as “long Covid” is having a debilitating effect on people’s lives, and stories of being left exhausted after even a short walk are now common.

So far, the focus has been on saving lives during the pandemic, but there is now a growing recognition that people are facing long-term consequences of a Covid infection.

Yet even basic questions – such as why people get long Covid or whether everyone will fully recover – are riddled with uncertainty.

What is long Covid?

There is no medical definition or list of symptoms shared by all patients – two people with long…