One of the notable aspects of the Covid virus has been the lingering side effects people experience even after testing negative. For some, this “long Covid” can last for many months. A recent study from the University of Oregon explores what impact long Covid might be having on the economy.
The researchers surveyed several hundred Oregan residents split evenly between urban and rural locations, and found that long Covid affected up to 280,000 people in the area, resulting in up to $1.1 billion in lost income. Indeed, up to 30,000 people have had to miss over a year of work as a result.
“Given the size of our state, that’s pretty sizable,” the researchers explain. “Another interesting thing that we found is that of the people that have long-COVID symptoms themselves, 30% of them have an immediate family member with long COVID as well.”
Economic impact
It’s also important to note that the economic impact of long Covid was not just felt by those directly suffering from it, as the researchers found that those caring for people with long Covid also lost up to $830 million in income.
“That’s probably going to continue to have an effect moving forward,” the authors continue. “It’s not like, OK, the pandemic’s done and then there’s no more lost wages. So if somebody’s missed a year of work, they can still get COVID today and tomorrow and next month and later in the year.”
The survey also highlighted the impact Covid had on child care, with the results suggesting that up to 92,000 parents missed at least one day of work due to various Covid-related child care issues. This alone cost up to $840 million in lost income.
“I think what that creates is a lot of uncertainty, not only for that individual, but for their employer as well,” the researchers conclude. “There are also these ripple effects that get created. So it’s not just COVID itself, it’s somebody else’s kid with COVID that impacts me. It’s not just long COVID, it’s my family members with COVID. It’s not just having COVID, but it’s the long COVID that comes after.”
