NIH report details how severe forms of COVID-19 cause lung failure and death By Austin Williams Study found increased risk of death in patients with 'long COVID' Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly from the St. Louis VA Healthcare System talks about a study that found an increased risk of death in patients who developed so-called 'long COVID.' LOS ANGELES - A recent report from the National Institutes of Health published on May 11 details how severe COVID-19 is unlike most respiratory illnesses and why it can cause lung failure and death. The report cites two NIH-funded studies that were both published in the scientific journal Nature. The NIH says these studies provide some of the most detailed analyses of COVID-19 on the human body.