Long after the acute crisis of COVID-19 passes, its consequences continue to unfold in hidden biological layers — researchers have discovered that the virus can awaken dormant pathogens that have quietly coexisted within us for years, offering a possible explanation for why millions remain ill long after their initial infection resolves. A landmark NIH-funded study of over a thousand hospitalized patients identified eleven reactivated viruses, with a poorly understood family called Anelloviridae showing the strongest links to long COVID and lasting disability. Perhaps most strikingly, the mech
COVID-19 Reactivates Dormant Viruses; Anelloviridae Linked to Long COVID
Millions worldwide suffer from long COVID; up to 50,000 Americans died of COVID in 2025-2026 respiratory season, with over 10 million U.S. adults estimated to have long COVID.