The latest variant of the coronavirus is likely to infect lung tissue than previous strains, based on hospital admissions in SA and research on animals

A Stellenbosch University professor and her team may have cracked the mystery of what causes long Covid, which has hit up to 100-million people globally.

A study by professor Resia Pretorius, the head of physiological sciences, found that an overload of inflammatory molecules trapped inside microscopic blood clots could cause of some of long Covid’s symptoms.

Results of the research — using plasma samples from healthy individuals, those with type 2 diabetes, acute Covid and long Covid — have been published the journal Bioscience Reports.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), women and health-care workers appear to face the highest risk of long Covid, and the organisation has urged scientists to make understanding the condition a priority.