Natural history of self-reported symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection: A target trial emulation in a prospective community-recruited cohort

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was associated with an elevated risk of new-onset long-COVID symptoms persisting up to 12 months. Using a national community-recruited cohort, contemporaneous uninfected controls, and target-trial emulation clarifies the burden attributable to infection and supports ongoing surveillance and targeted prevention and care.