By Daniel Brouse
August 20, 2024
A new study in Australia has found about $9.6 billion was lost in economic productivity due to long COVID in 2022. Researchers say that represented about a quarter of Australia’s real gross domestic product growth for that year.
With the U.S. having about 90 million more cases than Australia, the economic cost is likely around $90 billion higher just from lost productivity. Unfortunately, we continue to incur billions more in costs and millions more in new infections. And this estimate doesn’t even account for the additional costs of hospitalizations, deaths, and other impacts, which likely bring the total to trillions. On top of that, the U.S. government borrowed and distributed about $5 trillion in COVID-19 stimulus funds, so these costs are in addition to that.
I’ve been conducting experiments on hate and violence, and there’s a marked increase in extremism on both the far-right and far-left. Although my research is still in the early stages, it appears that COVID has likely intensified mental illness, exacerbated pre-existing neurological conditions, and impacted brain function. In a recent interview, lead scientist Raina MacIntyre explained that COVID affects every organ, though the symptoms aren’t always associated with long-COVID. Many patients unknowingly harbor the virus long after the initial infection. She also noted that in Australia, as well as globally, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death at 2%. However, long-COVID is estimated to affect 2-3% of the population at the low end, and up to 20% at the high end. The scale of this problem is massive and continues to grow.
In an interview with ABC Australia, Professor MacIntyre said, “It’s not a nothing burger in children. It is a serious infection.” She said there were simple ways to minimize risk when it came to COVID-19 infections. “Using an air purifier, which is not very expensive, or opening a window if there is a window that can be opened, or wearing a mask.”
The study: The public health and economic burden of long COVID in Australia, 2022–24