Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan

How it came about is so interesting, really, because as a hashtag, it appeared on Twitter. An Italian woman tweeted hashtag long COVID on the 20th of May 2020, raising awareness about chronic symptoms after COVID infection for the mildly affected.

Well, that's precisely, you know, we're already predicting disability for millions. And we haven't even had time really for chronic illness to develop. But this concept that a mild illness could lead to chronic disability took off after that hashtag. It was shared throughout the world. And this story spread the concept that the mildly affected could develop long-term symptoms laterally.

Well, that's precisely, you know, we're already predicting disability for millions. And we haven't even had time really for chronic illness to develop. But this concept that a mild illness could lead to chronic disability took off after that hashtag. It was shared throughout the world. And this story spread the concept that the mildly affected could develop long-term symptoms laterally.

Well, that's precisely, you know, we're already predicting disability for millions. And we haven't even had time really for chronic illness to develop. But this concept that a mild illness could lead to chronic disability took off after that hashtag. It was shared throughout the world. And this story spread the concept that the mildly affected could develop long-term symptoms laterally.

You know, it went from Twitter to mainstream news to medical newspapers with phenomenal speed, with no scientific study whatsoever, with just it being sort of a word of mouth.

You know, it went from Twitter to mainstream news to medical newspapers with phenomenal speed, with no scientific study whatsoever, with just it being sort of a word of mouth.

You know, it went from Twitter to mainstream news to medical newspapers with phenomenal speed, with no scientific study whatsoever, with just it being sort of a word of mouth.

There was so much that was counterintuitive to this being related. Let's just say that, of course, there are people who have chronic symptoms. If they were hospitalized, I volunteered in ITU during the pandemic. I saw how bad things were. You would not be surprised a very sick person would have chronic symptoms. Also, all viral illnesses cause chronic symptoms in a small proportion of people.

There was so much that was counterintuitive to this being related. Let's just say that, of course, there are people who have chronic symptoms. If they were hospitalized, I volunteered in ITU during the pandemic. I saw how bad things were. You would not be surprised a very sick person would have chronic symptoms. Also, all viral illnesses cause chronic symptoms in a small proportion of people.

There was so much that was counterintuitive to this being related. Let's just say that, of course, there are people who have chronic symptoms. If they were hospitalized, I volunteered in ITU during the pandemic. I saw how bad things were. You would not be surprised a very sick person would have chronic symptoms. Also, all viral illnesses cause chronic symptoms in a small proportion of people.

There is really good evidence that most people, however, with long COVID probably didn't get it related to the virus, but rather to the kind of idea of long COVID. Firstly, it's a different population. So people in hospital were older people with diabetes. They were mostly men. People with long COVID were younger people, healthier people and mostly women.

There is really good evidence that most people, however, with long COVID probably didn't get it related to the virus, but rather to the kind of idea of long COVID. Firstly, it's a different population. So people in hospital were older people with diabetes. They were mostly men. People with long COVID were younger people, healthier people and mostly women.

There is really good evidence that most people, however, with long COVID probably didn't get it related to the virus, but rather to the kind of idea of long COVID. Firstly, it's a different population. So people in hospital were older people with diabetes. They were mostly men. People with long COVID were younger people, healthier people and mostly women.

And studies that have emerged have been very interesting, like loneliness is a precursor for long COVID. A study in Germany followed health care workers from the beginning of the pandemic and people who had an expectation of symptom severity developed long COVID. So if you expected to get it, you got it. Depression. I kept hearing brain fog. I'm like, we're in a pandemic. Our brains are foggy.

And studies that have emerged have been very interesting, like loneliness is a precursor for long COVID. A study in Germany followed health care workers from the beginning of the pandemic and people who had an expectation of symptom severity developed long COVID. So if you expected to get it, you got it. Depression. I kept hearing brain fog. I'm like, we're in a pandemic. Our brains are foggy.

And studies that have emerged have been very interesting, like loneliness is a precursor for long COVID. A study in Germany followed health care workers from the beginning of the pandemic and people who had an expectation of symptom severity developed long COVID. So if you expected to get it, you got it. Depression. I kept hearing brain fog. I'm like, we're in a pandemic. Our brains are foggy.

And that point is so important because what they were doing in the studies at the beginning on long COVID is they were surveying people. They were self-diagnosed, and a self-diagnosed person is more likely to get long COVID. And they all had huge constellations of symptoms, but there was no control group.

And that point is so important because what they were doing in the studies at the beginning on long COVID is they were surveying people. They were self-diagnosed, and a self-diagnosed person is more likely to get long COVID. And they all had huge constellations of symptoms, but there was no control group.

And that point is so important because what they were doing in the studies at the beginning on long COVID is they were surveying people. They were self-diagnosed, and a self-diagnosed person is more likely to get long COVID. And they all had huge constellations of symptoms, but there was no control group.

And later, when they'd had time to do the science properly, and they were now comparing people with long COVID with people who were in the pandemic who didn't get COVID, They also had hundreds of symptoms.