Although most COVID-19 patients recover after their initial infection, about 10% to 20% experience new, returning, or lingering symptoms for weeks or months. Over the past year this condition has been called many names, including “long COVID” and “chronic COVID-19 syndrome.”
But until now, there was a lack of an official clinical definition that detailed the time of onset, duration, and types of symptoms. For over a year, medical professionals and researchers have struggled to diagnose patients and provide them with the right care. To address the challenges brought by the absence of globally standardized terminology for the long-term effects of the condition, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently published an official definition.