The pandemic may be over, but its lasting impacts might be here to stay — and that means side effects that last weeks and months after an infection. Long COVID refers to a range of physical and neurological symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and heart palpitations that persist after recovering from COVID-19. By late 2023, despite a drop in infections, about 6% of adults and 1% of children worldwide have reported suffering from long COVID.

• A Nature Medicine study estimates that long COVID costs the global economy ~$1T each year, or ~1% of global GDP, stemming from healthcare expenses and the inability of patients to return to work.
• Patients with long COVID are 10% less likely to be employed compared to those who were never infected, although 7% to 10% of patients recover fully within two years.

Out of sight, still in mind: With COVID cases rising in the US, there could be an increase in long COVID cases. Many Americans remain unaware of long COVID and its risks. Despite increased hospital visits this summer, Ziyad Al-Aly from the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Healthcare System believes that government agencies “are itching to pretend that COVID is over and that long COVID does not exist.” To tackle this, US Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced the Long COVID Research Moonshot Act, which aims to provide $1B annually for ten years to advance research and treatment.