Lasting damage to the heart and brain is an aspect of long COVID that should receive much more attention than it has so far.

We have sufficient evidence now to call for ongoing monitoring of individuals across the population.

At least one in 10 people, and probably more, develop long COVID after the acute infection, and many experience persistent debilitating symptoms, including fatigue, a disturbed sense of smell or taste, shortness of breath, brain fog, anxiety and depression.

But a much smaller group of people develops more life-threatening disorders, particularly cardiovascular disease, which includes heart attacks and strokes. The scale of this problem is now clearer.