92 million people worldwide have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and a little more than half of these people have recovered so far.
However, recovering from COVID-19 does not mean that a person’s experience with the virus is over. Research indicates that around 32% of people experience long-term health effects from COVID-19, which scientists have dubbed “long COVID.” A new paper that appears in the journal Gut suggests that the composition of the gut microbiome at the time of infection may impact whether someone experiences long COVID.
The paper also concludes that gut bacteria may affect the severity of the symptoms during the infection. The gut microbiome plays a significant role in health.