A data-driven look at Long Covid
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People who have contracted Covid face increased risk of neurological and psychiatric issues like brain fog, psychosis, seizures, and dementia for up to two years after infection, per a new large-scale study published in The Lancet Psychiatry.
⏳🦠 By the numbers… The analysis, conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford, drew from the health records of some 2.6 million people, mostly Americans. Half were diagnosed with Covid between January 2020 and April 2022, and the other half had a different respiratory disease during that time.
Per the study:
- The risks of neuropsychiatric effects due to Covid differed according to age, with people 65 and older at greatest risk of lasting damage, especially from dementia.
- For those between the ages of 18 and 64, a particularly increased risk was persistent brain fog. This affected 6.4% of people who had had Covid, compared with 5.5% of the control group (a 16% increase).
- Children under 18 were 2x as likely to develop epilepsy or seizures within two years of a Covid infection (2.6%), compared to those who had other respiratory infections (1.3%).
📸 Big picture: Per CDC data, roughly 1 in 13 adults (7.5% of the US population) currently have “long Covid” – a catch-all term for a wide range of symptoms including fatigue, brain fog, loss of taste or smell, depression, and anxiety that persist for weeks, months, or years after patients’ Covid infections have subsided.
📊 Flash poll: Are you, or is anyone in your life, currently dealing with the effects of long Covid?
See a 360° view of what the media is saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that the next major challenge posed by the pandemic will be how to deal with patients suffering from long Covid – a disease that scientists currently know very little about, and have very few methods of treating.
- Others contend that long Covid needs to be a key focus of researchers in the coming years, and propose government-sponsored programs that would support those affected financially, as well as try to cure them.
- “A new study offers important clues about the impact of long covid” –WaPo Editorial Board
- “The Guardian view on long Covid: an unknown enemy” –The Guardian Editorial Board
- “The world might be done with covid, but I'm still keeping my distance” –Stacy Torres, assistant professor of sociology at UC San Fran
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that, while the possible dangers posed by long Covid are risky, the fear of contracting the ailment shouldn’t prevent people from going about their lives as normal.
- Others contend that America should focus its money and efforts on developing a Covid vaccine that actually lasts for an extended period of time, rather than losing efficacy after several months.
- “Long Covid Is Dangerous. The Fear of It Still Shouldn’t Rule Your Life.” –Ross Douthat, NY Times
- “Can We Develop a Covid-19 Vaccine That Lasts?” –Stephanie Armour and Liz Essley Whyte, WSJ
- “Politicians are continuing to use COVID as a pretext to force their agendas” –Tucker Carlson, Fox News
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