Many People with Long COVID Have Signs of Persistent SARS-CoV-2 Proteins, New Findings Show

Posted onOctober 31st, 2024byDr. Monica M. Bertagnolli

In 2021, NIH launched the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative, a nationwide research program, to fully understand, diagnose, and treatLong COVID. We continue to learn more about this condition, in which some people experience a variety of symptoms for weeks, months, or even years after infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. But were still working to understand the underlying reasons why people develop Long COVID, who is most likely to get it, and how best to treat or prevent it.

Studies have shown that for some people, SARS-CoV-2 doesnt completely clear out after acute infection. Scientists have observed signs that the virus may persist in various parts of the body, and many suspect that this lingering virus, or remnants consisting of SARS-CoV-2 protein, may be causing Long COVID symptoms in some individuals. Now, in a new study supported by RECOVER, scientists found that people with Long COVID were twice as likely to have these viral remnants in their blood as people with no lingering symptoms. The findings, reported inClinical Microbiology and Infection, add to evidence that Long COVID may sometimes stem from persistent infection or SARS-CoV-2 protein remnants.