Long Covid and Public Health

How public health interventions could decrease or increase the disease burden of long covid

Long Covid Disease Burden in the United States
Showing the total disease burden of long covid as measured in Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Each DALY represents one year of healthy life lost to illness.
Based on research showing 80 DALYs per 1,000 long COVID cases1 with an estimated 17M cases of long COVID2 in the US.
202520262027202820290.0M 350.0M 700.0M 1360.0M Million DALYs per yearTEST DATA

Air Quality improvements

Percentage of buildings with a minimum of 5 ACH

Percentage of buildings with far germicidal UVC

Masking

Percentage of healthcare facilities with mask mandates

Percentage of general population wearing masks

Public Health Policies

Percentage of workers with paid sick leave

Percentage of population with free COVID tests available to them

Vaccination

Percentage of population with up-to-date vaccination for current variants

Percentage of population with hypothetical improved vaccine for long COVID prevention

Pharmaceutical Interventions

Percentage of population using COVID preventative nasal sprays

Percentage of population taking Paxlovid during acute COVID

Percentage of population taking Metformin during acute COVID

Percentage of population taking pharmaceuticals that reduce long covid symptoms

References:

  1. Nature Medicine: Long COVID burden and risk factors in 10 UK longitudinal studies and electronic health records
  2. KFF: As Recommendations for Isolation End, How Common is Long COVID?