Not Over Yet: The Impact of Long Covid on Worker Availability, Worker Quality of Life, and the Global Economy
Salma Abdallah
Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation
College: Hennings College of Science Mathematics and Technology
Major: BS.BIO/CELL/MOLEC
Faculty Research Mentor: Goldberg, Adara Coykendall, Sarah
Abstract:
Long Covid (LC) is a condition that occurs after acute Covid-19 infection and affects multiple organ systems in the human body. It manifests as a collection of persistent symptoms (most commonly fatigue, shortness of breath, and cognitive changes) and is diagnosed via process of elimination due to its similarity to other conditions. In 2024, the global incidence rate of LC was estimated to be 0.8%, or approximately 65 million people. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of LC on worker availability, worker quality of life, and the global economy.Four journal article databases were searched with a publication range from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2025. Search terms included “Covid-19”, “long covid”, “work”, and “work-life balance”. 3633 publications were reviewed and filtered for relevance and robustness, and 35 publications were included in the final review.Analysis of collected sources demonstrated that LC negatively impacted worker availability and decreased global economic output due to its disabling nature. Workers with LC reported difficulties with activities of daily living (ADLs), lower quality of life, and precarious financial situations due to increased healthcare costs and reduced income. Future actions include assisting workers with LC in applying for disability benefits and workplace accommodations, providing financial assistance to workers with LC who experience job loss and housing insecurity, providing comprehensive language interpretation services to LC patients, and facilitating increased patient/provider education on the manifestations and available treatments for LC.Keywords: Covid-19, Disability, Economic Burden, Long Covid, Quality of Life, Work Ability