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The following is a summary of “Current and Future Burden of Long COVID in the United States (U.S.),” published in the January 2025 issue of Infectious Disease by Bartsch et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine Long COVID, which affected an estimated 44.69-48.04 million people in the U.S., as a growing public health concern linked to the spread of SARS-CoV-2.  

They developed a computational simulation model to represent the clinical course, health effects, and associated costs for individuals with long COVID.  

The results showed the total cost of a Long COVID case ranged from $5,084 to $11,646 (if symptoms last 1 year), with 92.5% to 95.2% attributed to productivity losses. The current number of cases could cost society $2.01 to $6.56 billion, employers $1.99 to $6.49 billion, and third-party payers $21 to $68.5 million annually (6% to 20% probability of developing Long COVID). These cases would result in 35,808 to 121,259 Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) lost and 13,484 to 45,468 Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Additionally, with an incidence of 100 per 10,000 persons (similar to 2023), there would be $698.5 million in total costs, 14,685 QALYs lost, and 5,628 DALYs lost each year. Every 10-point increase in COVID incidence would add $365 million in costs, 5,070 QALYs lost, and 1,900 DALYs annually.  

Investigators concluded the current and projected health and economic burden of Long COVID, which might already surpass that of several other chronic diseases, poses a significant and growing threat to businesses, insurers, the healthcare system, and society. 

Source: academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiaf030/7972782