Highlights from patients attending the conference:

• “There were dozens of groups of researchers from all over the planet who, in a very short time, achieved results that would have been unthinkable a few years prior,” says ELF COVID-19 PAG member Stefano Pavanello. The importance of this work was emphasised to him after the event. “One of our dear friends, who had attended the conference, tested positive again with the usual annoying symptoms. Is it really over?”
• “The conference in Brussels for me was just an amazing experience,” says Fran Enright, also a member of the ELF COVID-19 PAG. “I met so many interesting people, including other long-COVID patients who were all just such lovely people. I’m so grateful to all those who are involved and for all their hard work. I now realise the amount of work and research that has already gone on and is still going on. This is why funding is so important so these experts can carry on their amazing work.”

Learn more: DRAGON conference: lessons learnt from COVID-19

The DRAGON project aimed to increase the capacity of the healthcare system so it can respond to COVID-19 and to future pandemics. ELF role in the project involved empowering patients to be more involved in their coronavirus diagnosis, care and preparedness. The COVID-19 patient and public advisory group was created to advise and input throughout the course of the project. 

The project has now concluded. A summary of the project can be found here.

Members of the ELF COVID-19 patient advisory group contributed to the ELF COVID-19 information hub to ensure the public and patients throughout Europe had access to accurate information and guidance to follow. This information hub contains important information about COVID-19, resources from experts and patient stories.

On 26 November 2022, the ELF COVID-19 patient advisory group hosted an online patient conference about living with COVID-19. Recordings of the sessions are now available to watch. The conference covered living with COVID-19, alongside long-COVID and vaccination.