A 72-year-old immunocompromised man in the Netherlands died after a 613-day battle with COVID-19.

The virus mutated over 50 times within his body, developing resistance to treatments.

Despite vaccination, his blood disorder and stem cell transplant hindered his ability to fight off the virus, resulting in a unique and potentially dangerous variant.

The case highlights the risks of prolonged COVID-19 infections among the immunocompromised and the importance of genomic monitoring.

While long Covid symptoms generally show improvement over time, more than one-third of patients in a study did not experience symptom relief, suggesting individual underlying factors affect long Covid recovery.