UNDERSTANDING LONG COVID:
THE LINGERING SHADOW OF THE PANDEMICWHAT IS LONG COVID?
Long COVID refers to symptoms that persist for at least three months after a SARS-CoV-2 infection or occur again and cannot be explained by other illnesses. All age groups are affected – including people with a mild or asymptomatic course. Leading health organisations such as the WHO and the CDC recognise long COVID as a separate post-viral syndrome that requires specific clinical attention.
HOW COMMON IS IT?
The global prevalence is around 6% of adults, in some low- and middle-income countries it is as high as 30%. In the USA, 22% of Long COVID sufferers report significant restrictions in their everyday lives. Three or more doses of vaccine reduce the risk of Long COVID by around 69%.
SITUATION IN EUROPE
In the WHO Europe region, over 17 million people suffered from long COVID during the first two years of the pandemic. According to EU estimates, the prevalence rose from 1.7% (2021) to just under 3% (2022). An OECD survey (2023-24) found that around 7% of adults over 45 years of age in primary care reported long-COVID symptoms, 5% of whom had persistent symptoms.
GERMANY: HEALTH & ECONOMIC BURDEN
A current model calculation estimates the costs of Long COVID and ME/CFS in Germany between 2020 and 2024 at over 250 billion euros, 63 billion euros in 2024 alone (approx. 1.5% of GDP). GPs work according to the exclusion principle and refer complex cases to specialised outpatient clinics. EU data shows that Long COVID reduced the labour force by around 0.5% in 2022 – the equivalent of more than one million full-time jobs.
WHO IS PARTICULARLY AT RISK?
Although anyone can develop Long COVID, certain groups are more affected: Women and older adults, people with chronic illnesses (e.g. asthma, obesity), people with severe or multiple infections, unvaccinated people.
COMMON SYMPTOMS OF LONG COVID
Long COVID includes over 200 symptoms in various organ systems. The most common are: Exhaustion, exercise intolerance, brain fog, memory problems, shortness of breath, chronic cough, chest pain, palpitations, anxiety, depression, insomnia, nausea, diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort.
CAUSES: WHAT IS BEHIND IT?
Various factors are thought to contribute to the development of Long COVID: Persistent virus fragments in body tissues, immune disorders and autoimmune processes, reactivation of latent viruses, vascular damage and microthrombi, inflammation of the nervous system.
DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT OF LONG COVID
The diagnosis is made clinically based on the patient’s history and by ruling out other causes – there is no definitive laboratory test. Treatment is symptom-oriented and multidisciplinary: pneumological rehabilitation, pacing, psychotherapy, physiotherapy, nutritional therapy. Numerous clinical studies are being conducted worldwide.
FOCUS ON INTEGRATIVE THERAPY APPROACHES
The Verus Bonifatius Private Hospital in Germany pursues a holistic treatment concept that combines traditional healing methods with modern science. In collaboration with the Singularity Academy, the clinic is exploring new ways of combining TCM and psychiatry – including through webinars and exchange programmes.