Long-lasting immune activity in the airways might be the cause of persistent breathlessness following COVID-19, suggests the latest by a team of scientists at  Imperial College London. The study led by Dr James Harker from Imperial’s National Heart & Lung Institute, and published in Immunity, analysed 38 people who were previously hospitalised with severe COVID-19. The results showed that these patients had an altered landscape of immune cells in their airways and signs of ongoing lung damage. The primary findings suggest that recovery from COVID-19 might be accelerated by treatments that dampen the immune system and reduce inflammation.  However, this might improve over time, the study found.