Post COVID-19 condition: A webinar to expand our understanding of this condition

9 February 2021

During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, investigators began to assemble longitudinal cohort studies to assess COVID-19 sequelae. By August 2020, WHO met with patients from the LongCovidSOS group and affirmed the need for recognition, research and rehabilitation. By September 2020, WHO had established the ICD-10 code for the Post COVID-19 condition. By January 2021, WHO had published its initial guidance on clinical management of patients after acute illness. 

Subsequently, there has been an increase in the number and scope of Post COVID-19 condition research activities by public health agencies, academics, patient-led research groups and other stakeholders. However, a lack of consensus on the clinical case definition and limited understanding of the clinical characterization during the recovery period and associated pathophysiology have limited progress in diagnosis, treatment and management. 

On 9 February 2021, a webinar entitled “Expanding our understanding of Post COVID-19 condition” was held under the auspices of WHO and in consultation with the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC), Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R), National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH/NIAID), LongCovidSOS and patient representatives. The meeting took place over a 5-hour period divided into the following three sessions:

  • Session 1: Post COVID-19 condition: scene setting and lessons learned
  • Session 2: Observations on Post COVID-19 condition: what we know
  • Session 3: Working groups to develop clinical case definition and research gaps/methods.


Presentations:

Part 1: Post COVID-19 condition: scene setting and lessons learned                                     
  1. Learning from previous viral infections: SARS, MERS, influenza and Zika
  2. Learning from previous critical illness: Post-Intensive Care Syndrome  
  3. Learnings from the National Institute of Health (NIH) Workshop on Post-Acute Sequelae of  COVID-19 (3–4 December 2020) 
  4. Learnings from the ISARIC-GLOPID-R-Long COVID Support group meeting: Long COVID Forum (9–10 December 2020)
  5. Pathophysiology/immunology: potential mechanisms

Part 2: Post COVID-19 condition: what we know                                                                 

  1. Global experiences from survey: Patient Led-Research COVID-19
  2. Experiences from China
  3. Experiences from Italy: One and two    
  4. Experiences from Brazil
  5. Experiences from India

Presenters: 

List of presenters for Webinar 9 February 2021