This is a plain English summary of an original research article. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and reviewer(s) at the time of publication.
People newly referred to specialist long COVID clinics answered a questionnaire on the financial cost of the condition.
Of 366 respondents, at the time of the study:
- half (52%) worked reduced hours; many needed support from friends and family (informal care)
- on average, work lost to long COVID had cost each participant £10,929 (equivalent to £5.7 billion if scaled up across the UK)
- on average, participants had received informal care from friends or family estimated to be worth £9,000 (£4.8 billion if scaled up across the UK).
Researchers suggest that more support for people with long COVID could reduce the impact of the condition on the UK economy. Schemes to help people get back to work would be beneficial, they say.
More information on long COVID can be found on the NHS website.
The issue: what is the economic impact of long COVID?
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), people have long COVID if their symptoms continue for 12 weeks or more after the infection. Symptoms include fatigue, breathlessness, loss of sense of smell, and brain fog (memory problems and/or poor concentration). In March 2023, 2 million people in the UK reported that they had long COVID.
The condition can reduce people’s ability to work, which can reduce their earnings. In addition, family members and friends (informal carers) often provide care at the expense of their own wellbeing and finances.
This study investigated the cost of long COVID on people with the condition and their informal carers.
What’s new?
The study included 366 people with long COVID who were newly referred to specialist long COVID clinics. They completed a questionnaire (between August 2022 and February 2023) about: their health, how long COVID affected their work, their need for care. Most participants were female (68%) and white (79%), and their average age was 48 years. They generally had long COVID for more than a year (450 days on average).
The researchers found that among people with long COVID:
- many (52%) worked less or stopped altogether, though some (27%) did not change their hours
- some (32%) needed care from an informal carer, which meant that some informal carers (23%) worked fewer hours to accommodate caregiving; the value of the informal care provided was estimated at £8,726 each.
People with long COVID earned an average of 25% less than before they had the condition; this equates to £10,929 each in lost earnings, on average.
If participants are assumed to represent people with long COVID across the country, the economic impact of long COVID on the UK at the time of this study would amount to:
- £5.7 billion from the incapacity of people with long COVID to work as before
- £4.8 billion as the value of informal care provided.
People who had long COVID for more than 2 years were 2.5 times more likely to have returned to work than those who had it for less than 1 year, despite being more likely to be in worse health.
Why is this important?
The findings show the economic impact of long COVID on people with the condition, their informal carers, and the national economy. The researchers say people with long COVID would benefit from support, including schemes to help them get back to work.
People who had long COVID for longer periods may be more likely to return to work because they have no choice, the researchers say. They may have run into financial difficulties and want to reduce the burden on their caregivers.
The researchers caution that few people in the study were from ethnic minorities; research in more diverse populations is needed to explore whether the findings are generalisable across the population.
What’s next?
The findings could inform policies and support plans for people with long COVID and their informal carers.
This study was part of a wider NIHR-funded project (LOCOMOTION) investigating the health, economic impact and care strategies of people with long COVID. It gave a preliminary snapshot of the economic impact of long COVID at the survey baseline.
Results of a more comprehensive analysis will, in addition, include use of the health system, and reduction in health-related quality of life over time. The authors will explore whether specialist long COVID clinics have improved health and work-related outcomes for people with long COVID. The estimate of the national impact of long COVID will be updated.
You may be interested to read
This is a summary of: Kwon J, and others. Impact of Long COVID on productivity and informal caregiving. The European Journal of Health Economics 2023. DOI: 10.1007/s10198-023-01653-z.
Information on long COVID from the British Heart Foundation.
Resources from Long COVID Support.
An NIHR summary of the impact of fatigue among people with long COVID.
Information on taking part in NIHR research on long COVID.
Funding: This study was funded by an NIHR long COVID grant.
Conflicts of Interest: None declared.
Disclaimer: Summaries on NIHR Evidence are not a substitute for professional medical advice. They provide information about research which is funded or supported by the NIHR. Please note that the views expressed are those of the author(s) and reviewer(s) at the time of publication. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
NIHR Evidence is covered by the creative commons, CC-BY licence. Written content and infographics may be freely reproduced provided that suitable acknowledgement is made. Note, this licence excludes comments and images made by third parties, audiovisual content, and linked content on other websites.
