Meagher, Timothy · Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2025 · DOI
Five years after Long Covid was first recognized in 2020, researchers have made progress understanding the condition, but significant challenges remain. While most people's symptoms improve over time, scientists still haven't found reliable blood tests to diagnose it or effective treatments. Long Covid appears to share many similarities with ME/CFS, and the condition can develop or worsen after repeated COVID-19 infections.
This analysis is critical for ME/CFS patients because it clarifies the relationship between Long Covid and ME/CFS, two conditions with substantial overlap. Understanding the current state of research helps patients recognize what is and isn't known about post-infectious illnesses, and highlights that despite years of study, effective treatments remain absent—underscoring the need for continued research investment.
This editorial does not prove that Long Covid and ME/CFS are identical conditions, only that they share significant overlap. It does not establish definitive disease mechanisms or explain why some individuals recover while others develop persistent disability. The observation that disability claims were lower than anticipated does not prove Long Covid causes minimal disability; it may reflect reporting gaps, insurance barriers, or other confounding factors.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Meagher, Timothy (2025). Long Covid in Year 5: Some Progress, Still Many Questions.. Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.). https://doi.org/10.17849/insm-52-2-1-5.2
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-meagher-2025-long-covid,
author = {Meagher, Timothy},
title = {Long Covid in Year 5: Some Progress, Still Many Questions.},
journal = {Journal of insurance medicine (New York, N.Y.)},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.17849/insm-52-2-1-5.2},
note = {PubMed: 40707035},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/meagher-2025-long-covid},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/meagher-2025-long-covid
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