Life cut short by long COVID?

The world was forever changed in late 2019, when reports of a mysterious viral pneumonia began to trickle out of Wuhan, China. Rapidly escalating from a cluster of unexplained illnesses to a global pandemic, COVID-19 revealed how vulnerable even the most modern societies can be to a novel pathogen. Within months, communities across continents faced lockdowns, overwhelmed hospitals, and an uneasy new normal. As the virus mutated and spread, frontline workers and everyday citizens alike became aware not just of its contagious nature, but also its uncanny ability to wreak havoc in ways no one could have anticipated.