Long Covid

Long Covid is a condition in which a subset of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop chronic, often debilitating, symptoms. No FDA-approved treatments exist.

The symptoms and severity of Long Covid vary widely, but patients are often left suffering with life changing symptoms. Long Covid can harm the neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic and endocrine systems, among others. Long Covid often involves ongoing inflammation and blood vessel damage and can damage major organs including the brain, heart and lungs.

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US$3.7 trillion

  • est. total US economic loss (Harvard)

US$230 billion

  • est. per annum lost wages in the US alone (Brookings) 

19 million patients in the US

(CDC)

  • 2M patients in the UK (ONS)

  • Millions of patients worldwide

Everybody is at risk

  • You can get Long COVID regardless of vaccination or previous infection status

  • Young healthy people, athletes and children are significantly impacted (c. 1 in 40 children in the UK)

Majority do not recover

  • Majority of those still ill at 12 weeks post acute infection remain ill after 1 year 

Long Covid Myths: Long Covid is NOT...

  • Limited to vulnerable populations: it commonly impacts healthy and fit individuals.

  • Prevented by vaccination: current vaccines do not prevent Long Covid.  

  • Only caused by severe acute Covid: Long Covid occurs in mild or even asymptomatic cases. 

  • Only a threat from the first infection: Long Covid remains a risk with each infection. 

  • Resolved over time: patients typically do not fully recover.

  • Immediately obvious: many serious long term diseases begin with a mild or asymptomatic infection 

    • Multiple sclerosis (associated with EBV)

    • AIDS (associated with HIV)  

    • Cervical / oral cancer (associated with HPV)

    • Alzheimers (linked to multiple pathogens, e.g. P Gingivalis) 

  • Caused only by old variants: new Covid variants continue to generate Long Covid.

  • Sufficiently diagnosed: Long Covid is likely substantially underdiagnosed. 

  • Unexpected: survivors of SARS-CoV-1 and MERS also experienced long-term persistent symptoms over decades.

  • Easily treatable: no FDA-approved treatments exist.