Andy
Retired committee member
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
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