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active confidence: Low

Long COVID — What Are the Mechanisms?

What are the biological mechanisms driving Long COVID?

Competing explanations

Viral persistence (reservoirs) · plausible
Immune dysregulation / autoimmunity · plausible
Microclots / endothelial-vascular damage · plausible
Dysautonomia / reactivated latent viruses · possible

Timeline — what changed

2026-06-19 23:18 · AI update

No material change. The Wikipedia article reiterates the same set of hypothesized mechanisms (viral persistence, autoimmunity, blood clotting problems, neurological dysfunction, reactivated latent viruses) without providing new evidence or elevating any single explanation. It explicitly states that the causes of long COVID are not understood.

Sources (1)