Global life expectancy had been on the rise since 1950, but this historical trend was reversed between 2019 and 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 20-month-long infection is the longest known and highlights how prolonged infections enable the pandemic virus to accumulate genetic changes—potentially spawning new variants of concern.
A cluster of variants under FLiRT is linked to new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and U.K.; the periodic surge in cases reframes COVID-19 as a cyclical disease, and universal protections will help protect especially the vulnerable, says an expert.
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