Pathology

Disease

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Bioinformatics

Biology

Pandemic

Outbreak

Intensive care medicine

Virology

DECIPHER

Immunology

Betacoronavirus

Coronavirus

Immunopathology

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

Medicine

Immune system

Science

Considerable research effort has been made worldwide to decipher the immune response triggered upon severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections, identify the drivers of severe and fatal COVID-19, and understand what leads to the prolongation of symptoms after disease resolution. We review the results of almost 2 years of COVID-19 immunology research and discuss definitive findings and remaining questions regarding our understanding of COVID-19 pathophysiology. We discuss emerging understanding of differences in immune responses seen in those with and without Long Covid syndrome, also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2. We hope that the knowledge gained from this COVID-19 research will be applied in studies of inflammatory processes involved in critical and chronic illnesses, which remain a major unmet need.

The immunology and immunopathology of COVID-19