COVID-19 had stormed through the world in early March of 2019, and on 5 May 2023, SARS-CoV-2 was officially declared to no longer be a global health emergency. The rise of new COVID-19 variants XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16, a product of recombinant variants and sub-strains, has fueled a need for continued surveillance of the pandemic as they have been deemed increasingly infectious. Regardless of the severity of the variant, this has caused an increase in hospitalizations, a strain in resources, and a rise of concern for public health. In addition, there is a growing population of patients experiencing cardiovascular complications as a result of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19. This review aims to focus on what was known about SARS-CoV-2 and its past variants (Alpha, Delta, Omicron) and how the knowledge has grown today with new emerging variants, with an emphasis on cardiovascular complexities. We focus on the possible mechanisms that cause the observations of chronic cardiac conditions seen even after patients have recovered from the infection. Further understanding of these mechanisms will help to close the gap in knowledge on post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 and the differences between the effects of variants.

The COVID-19 pandemic unnerved the global population in 2019 and has continued to evolve ever since. Throughout this time, investigations concerning the health of the groups most susceptible to this virus, including the elderly, those with compromised immunity or chronic diseases, and pregnant women, have taken place. Numerous articles have been formulated on the effects of COVID-19 infection on maternal, fetal, and neonatal health, but there are many controversies that still exist within the current literature. Even three years later, it is not fully understood how a maternal infection or vaccination of COVID-19 can impact pregnancy and the fetus, and these topics require further investigation and conclusive results. The aim of this article is to explain the risks for a mother and the neonate, during and after pregnancy, with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, this report presents the current state of the literature on whether vaccination during pregnancy is more beneficial or harmful. Finally, this review examines studies regarding the exacerbation of the effects of COVID-19 on pregnancies in various organ systems, particularly the cardiovascular system, in relevance to pre-existing and emerging conditions and the ethnicity of the mother.