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.