Rido – stock.adobe.comThe researchers said the discovery could eventually change how doctors approach both acute COVID-19 and long COVID. “The next step is determining whether identifying and treating reactivated viruses can improve outcomes for patients with acute COVID-19 and long COVID.” Long COVID remains one of the biggest unanswered questions of the pandemic. Scientists still don’t fully understand what causes long COVID, and there are currently no approved treatments. The researchers stressed that their study doesn’t prove dormant viruses cause long COVID.