Scientists have identified the mechanism behind how SARS-CoV-2 virus damages the heart tissue.

People infected with COVID-19 are at a significantly higher risk for developing inflammation of the heart muscle, abnormal heart rhythms, blood clots, stroke, heart attacks, and heart failure for at least a year after infection, compared to those who have not been infected with the virus, said the study.

The scientists, who are from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, US, then used a drug to reverse the toxic effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus protein on the heart.