Dizziness, persistent brain fog, and episodes of disorientation have become a daily reality for thousands of people living with long-term complications following COVID-19. What once seemed like a temporary viral illness has, for many individuals, evolved into a prolonged struggle with symptoms that refuse to disappear months or even years after the initial infection. People describe waking up exhausted despite a full night’s sleep, losing their train of thought mid-sentence, or feeling physically drained after the smallest effort—such as reading a page of text, walking up a short flight of stairs, or holding a brief conversation.

Researchers studying these lingering conditions have increasingly connected them with Long COVID, a complex and still poorly understood syndrome that can affect multiple organs and body systems. Among the most striking discoveries is that nearly half of people experiencing long-lasting symptoms appear to meet the diagnostic criteria for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), a debilitating disorder characterized by extreme fatigue and worsening symptoms after even minor physical or mental exertion. This connection has drawn significant attention from scientists and clinicians, because ME/CFS has historically been misunderstood and underdiagnosed despite affecting millions of people worldwide.