This is a report published by Economist Impact on the scale and scope of Long Covid. Several experts have contributed, including Dr Charles Shepherd from the ME Association. Her are key findings and link to report: Key findings Disparate views on how to describe and study long Covid continue to inhibit understanding. Due to the wide variation in long Covid manifestations and its relative novelty, several working definitions of long Covid exist–with many specifying different symptomology and disease periods. The lack of consensus presents significant global challenges in understanding the scale and scope of long Covid–and providing support for individuals affected by it. Long Covid’s physical symptoms suggest that it may represent a family of diseases, each capable of exerting a heavy individual burden. Individuals affected by long Covid experience a spectrum of persistent symptoms, including shortness of breath, chronic fatigue and brain fog, which can extend for months or even years after acute infection. The comprehensive impact of long Covid on patients' lives underscores the urgent need for holistic support and intervention to address the multifaceted burdens they face. The impact, especially on those most severely affected, can upend lives and finances.The impact of the condition ranges from mild to debilitating, leading to an inability to participate in routine activities, decreased workforce participation and reduced quality of life. And individuals with long Covid commonly face stigma. Prevalence reports in our study countries vary widely due to diverse methodologies, but experts estimate that between 2% and 7% of the population likely have long Covid in some form. Recent studies of long Covid report incredible variation in the prevalence of long Covid. What is clear is that millions of people around the world have been impacted by this condition. Good practices are emerging in long Covid care. Encouragingly, some countries have put policies in place to address long Covid. Best practice policies encourage multi-disciplinary, patient-centred care while supporting the social and economic needs of long Covid patients. https://impact.economist.com/perspectives/health/incomplete-picture-understanding-burden-long-covid
This is nonsense. The only thing we can do at present for Long Covid is to prevent it by reducing exposure. No attempts are being made to do that anywhere. People are living in fairyland. We have moved into an age that will be dominated by pandemics of disease spread by unnecessary travel and overcrowded living. But nothing so far has been learnt.
A bit more detailed summary at the end of the report: Call to action: even in the darkness, some priorities are clear While there are frustrating knowledge gaps about the long Covid elephant, the burden is significant, with global incidence on par with other major NCDs and figures for the most affected minority comparable to that of dementia and HIV/AIDS. Moreover, long Covid brings many overlapping burdens on affected individuals – in terms of health, employment and wider finances – which can be extensive, especially for those with the most severe cases. This study has highlighted key gaps in data, definitions and practice: Find a common framework for the description and study of long Covid Currently, major public health actors lack an agreed definition of the condition. Yet more important is a lack of convergence around a common set of metrics and key time periods for studying long Covid. This would facilitate comparative research across countries, enable the aggregation of data and findings, and point to robust relationships and outcomes. Focus on prevention A SARS-CoV-2 infection is a prerequisite to long Covid. And those with severe cases of Covid-19 are most at risk for long-term sequelae. Preventative measures, such as vaccination and early treatment of acute Covid-19, may help to reduce individual risk. Prioritise data collection and better collation A common framework will help alleviate a problem identified by experts in this study: lack of robust and usable data. Countries should also harness their limited data better, including through developing registries which are invaluable in other complex, chronic diseases. Leverage effective tools for symptom management Barring the unlikely appearance of a cure for long Covid, medical treatment is likely to focus on alleviating specific symptoms. Long Covid care must harness existing treatment options that have been repurposed from other conditions, and develop deeper insights into long Covid itself. This is a joint task for researchers and clinicians. Create of multidisciplinary, patient- centred care pathways Alongside better symptom management, health systems need to develop and enhance structures and pathways to provide multidisciplinary, patient-centred long Covid care. Although precise arrangements may vary, several attributes should be universal: • Diagnosis: Patients will not be able to benefit from provision if not identified. This should occur as soon as relevant symptoms appear, not after an arbitrary waiting period such as 12 weeks rather than four after acute infection. This involves steps such as making acute Covid patients aware of the risks and signs of long Covid; better informing clinicians about the condition and what to do if found; and active case- finding to overcome access inequities. • Development and execution of an individualised care plan in cooperation with the patient: After diagnosis, the clinician responsible for coordinating care should work with the patient to create a care plan, including referrals to all the specialists, clinicians and therapists a patient might need for specific mental and physical health issues. The responsible doctor should also monitor the plan’s progress and seek a multidisciplinary approach. • Link patients to employment and social support where necessary: Long Covid can impede the ability of individuals to work and pose substantial financial burdens on them. Care providers should have clear pathways to refer patients to relevant bodies to assist with these areas. Develop a coherent policy framework Effective delivery across the entire breadth of individual long Covid patient needs cannot occur solely within health systems. It must be embedded in a coherent, or at least consistent, set of policies. Delivery outside of healthcare should complement multidisciplinary treatment to provide holistic support. A useful starting point includes simplifying the processes to secure, enhanced sick leave, workplace accommodation, and eligibility for disability and other social benefits where required and appropriate. Assessment and provision should be straightforward and transparent, rather than relying on policy to build up – a potentially years-long process. Stay the course Long Covid shows no sign of going away. Too many examples already exist, however, of policymakers cutting back on their efforts and experts fear further regress. The stakes are too high to leave so many people with insufficient care. While these steps specifically help those living with long Covid, they have the potential to help everyone. Dr Al-Aly explains that new pandemics always arise, and “we cannot go into the next only to be surprised by a wave of chronic illness following it. We have already paid the price for this horror movie. It is inexcusable not to learn from it and be better prepared next time.”
It's like the joke about someone asking directions and getting the reply "Well I wouldn't start from here."
All wishcare, you can't treat symptoms when you don't know how to treat symptoms. Having multidisciplinary teams going through ritual motions doesn't affect that. There has been nothing preventing anyone from doing most of this competently. There is still zero examination as to why this is being resisted, or has been resisted at all when most of this is just old problems that have been denied and covered up for the same reasons. Talk about lacking a consensus definition is nonsense. The problem isn't over definition, it's that reality is being denied and covered up, while there are no tests for most of the varied consequences, no training, and a giant traditional ideology in the way of everything. There is a widespread attitude of giving up before trying, of the picture being "too complex" as if it means that giving up is the only option. While so many MDs have the hubris of saying this about us. This incomplete picture is incomplete in its own right.
Saw this shared again, and noticed the complete absence of ME/CFS or POTS in the entire document. Only a single reference to "chronic fatigue". It's basically a cover-up of medicine's shameful failure to address this for decades. There is even a quote here: You really should have. You didn't. Thousands of us literally did and told you so. You didn't do a damn thing. You're still not doing a damn useful thing yet.
