The long-term effects of surviving COVID-19 have become a new focus of attention for clinicians and researchers. This focus has been driven partly by concerns about late ill-effects of a previously unknown virus, but recognised generic patterns of chronic disease after critical illness also exist. These patterns are termed PICS, an acronym both for post-intensive care syndrome and for persistent inflammation, immunosuppression, and catabolism syndrome. We recommend unifying post-COVID-19 research aims with those of PICS research and propose a novel approach to its management by repurposing drugs that are approved, inexpensive, and safe.