EXCERPT
More than 5 years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, its long-lasting aftermath persists as a health crisis in primary care. According to WHO sentinel data, global COVID-19 test positivity reached 11% by mid-May 2025, matching the previous year’s peak in July 2024.1 Although similar data are not available for Trinidad and Tobago, 16 deaths were reported in 2024 in the twin-island population of 1·3 million.2 Such persistence of acute infections should serve as a warning to watch for their lingering effects. Characterised as a new multisystem, post-viral syndrome, the post-COVID-19 condition (also known as long COVID), is also documented as post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. Long COVID remains poorly recognised and underdiagnosed, posing a challenge to primary care, where most patients seek early help.3 In this Comment, we provide five policy recommendations anchored in primary care to improve long COVID care in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean region.
