Long Covid Impact on Adult Americans: Early Indicators Estimating Prevalence and Cost, 2022, Solve Long Covid Initiative

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

While most patients recover from COVID-19, as many as half experience lingering symptoms six or more months after their initial infection.1 Long Covid is the patient-preferred term used to describe this experience of post-infection illness. Long Covid includes a broad range of symptoms that can be disabling, prevent the patient’s recovery to pre-infection health, and thwart the patient’s return to the workforce.

Using mathematical models, publicly available data, patient-led research, and the published natural histories of other post-infection illnesses, specifically myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/ CFS), Solve M.E. estimates the prevalence and cost of Long Covid on adult Americans, presented here. Most importantly, these estimates differentiate between persons with milder symptoms and those experiencing disability or inability to work. While noting limitations of population and serology data, including under-reporting and gender bias, these mathematical models and analyses were developed with a specific emphasis on the impacts of this mass disabling event on American labor markets and labor shortages. Among the key findings, our models estimate: [see document for figures]

The significant numbers of those impacted by Disabling Long Covid (DLC) highlight the need for changes to the structure of US disability benefit programs as demand exponentially increases. Particularly, there is a growing need for a scaled approach that reflects a spectrum of disability to replace the current “one-size-fitsall” approach. Additionally, employers will need to make significant, sustained efforts to accommodate their workers with post-infection illness.

Open access, https://solvecfs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Long_Covid_Impact_Paper.pdf

 

Trial By Error: Two Reports on the Financial Burden of Long Covid and Its Impact on ME/CFS Prevalence

"Two publications this month shed some light on the situation in the US. First, the Solve Long Covid Initiative published a “white paper” called “Long Covid Impact on Adult Americans: Early Indicators Estimating Prevalence and Cost.” Second, three authors revisit their own earlier estimates of the economic burden of ME/CFS in relation to levels of government research spending. This time, they have incorporated into their analysis the expected increase in cases stemming from the pandemic. (I’m not a statistician or any kind of math whiz, so I’m not commenting on the models and calculations used in these analyses.)"

https://www.virology.ws/2022/04/20/...f-long-covid-and-impact-on-me-cfs-prevalence/

 

Thank you @dave30th for your continued great articles!

I agree with Lady Shambles comments regarding the concern ME will ultimately be left out of the funding/research loop due to the lure of big money going into LC research.

I also see the risks of putting ME, LC, and other post viral diseases in one pot. This blurs the outlines of each disease, which may lead to revised vague watered down case definitions: shades of the Oxford case definition.

Thank you very much to Solve ME/CFS and the authors of the articles for their work. However, I do see the potential as CT has pointed out for history to eventually repeat itself. Previously, the tsunami of ME cases caused a duck and run approach by governments and insurers. Thus giving free rein to the BPS Movement to divert many from much needed government assistance and legitimate biomedical research.