Very early during the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020), many people cured of the virus began to testify on social networks: they did not return to their usual state after being infected. We had to wait until February 2021 for the High Authority of Health (HAS) publishes its first recommendations. Intended for the support of “ Extension symptoms of Covid-19 (called long Covid) », this press release was the first document, in France, to formalize the existence of this syndrome which causes in some patients, “ fatigue, shortness of breath or even cognitive problems », while the vaccine had not yet been widespread.
Five years after this first observation, an international study published on January 8, 2026 in the journal PNAS identified that the virus left behind residue “ zombies “. A misnomer for fragments of the Spike protein (the break-in weapon that allows the virus to enter the body), lingering agents that maintain chronic inflammation and continue to destroy cells. Even if the body is no longer host to the virus, some people never fully recover from it; no offense to many skeptics who have treated people affected by this syndrome like Argan, the main character of the Imaginary patient.
A poison that the body cannot get rid of
When our immune system attacks SARS-CoV-2, it breaks its Spike protein into small chains of amino acids called peptides. The body cannot flush or recycle them as it normally would other viruses, because these peptides assemble into oligomeric complexes, active molecules that mimic the functioning of natural toxins to force themselves inside our cells.
Additionally, the researchers behind this study also found that cThe debris is “ scheduled » to recognize the shape of cells. They thus tend to group together and attack where the cell membrane is the most curved and target two main groups: dendritic cells (the sentinels of the immune system) and T lymphocytes (the killers of pathogens).
By accumulating in these areas, these fragments manage to create pores in the membrane of these cells, the contents of which escape until causing their destruction (a phenomenon called membrane lysis). This leak forces the body to produce immune cells continuously to compensate for losses and weakens the immune systemwhile releasing inflammatory molecules into the blood.
A hypothesis that would explain why some patients remain immersed in exhausting chronic fatigue or mental fog. Their body remains on high alert (a state called sympathicotonie) and consumes an abnormal amount of oxygen and nutrients to compensate for premature cell death, leaving their muscles and brains completely exhausted.
According to Public Health France, “ 2 million people had a post-COVID-19 condition at the end of 2022 », a figure that stood at 17 million in the United States at the end of 2024. Even though the viral landscape is dominated by the Omicron family, causing 50% lower risk of causing long COVID compared to the old variants (Delta/Alpha), This in no way invalidates the conclusions of this study.. Although the spread of the virus remains moderate at the start of 2026, this variant infected many more peopleexposing a greater number of individuals to this risk of chronic after-effects. Too bad there is no study on the number of people who feared the vaccine like the plague among those who have been affected by this syndrome. Here they are “ free » to be exhausted and next to their pumps 24 hours a day: the great deal !
- Study finds that remnants of the COVID-19 virus continue to damage immune cells even after recovery.
- These fragments cause chronic inflammation, leading to fatigue and cognitive impairment in some patients.
- Around 2 million people in France still suffer from post-COVID-19 conditions, highlighting the lasting impact of the disease.
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