As an unforeseen consequence of the COVID‑19 pandemic, long COVID remains a challenge for patients, healthcare professionals and health systems alike. The health impact of this syndrome of persisting symptoms is debilitating for patients and reduces their quality of life. The socio-economic impact of long COVID encompasses absence from education and the workplace, reduced productivity, unemployment, and premature exit from the workforce. There is a need to ensure health and social care systems provide an integrated and supportive response for patients living with long COVID, in order to minimise reductions in quality of life for patients and productivity of OECD economies.
This report estimates the projected disease burden of long COVID over the next decade, and the estimated economic impact on GDP for OECD and EU economies in terms of direct healthcare costs and the much larger indirect costs stemming from reduced productivity and employment. The policy survey reviews the initiatives and responses that are implemented or absent from EU and OECD countries, and the progress made in the recognition, diagnosis, management and support of patients living with long COVID. The report updates policymakers with the state of play on health policy for long COVID, five years after the COVID‑19 pandemic began, and identifies remaining gaps for health systems to address. Failing to detect and respond to long COVID leads to personal suffering, job loss and a high economic burden.
This publication is part of the “Supporting long COVID patients: insights and action initiative (2024-2026)” of the European Commission, aimed at building consensus among EU countries on the key needs and priorities of patients, health systems, and societies in relation to long COVID. The OECD has published a previous report on the Prevalence and Impact of Long COVID in the primary care population, using data from the PaRIS initiative (https://doi.org/10.1787/119b0e8f-en).