As the pandemic stretches on, doctors and researchers alike are still working to understand long COVID, as patients experience troubling symptoms for months and even years. But what does the path forward look like for those suffering from a condition that is as vast as it is undefined?
The medical community’s current understanding of long COVID is that it affects the entire body, causing an array of symptoms from shortness of breath and joint pain to sensory impairment and loss of cognitive ability. Studies from the United Kingdom’s Office of National Statistics and the University of Washington estimate that 10% to 30% of those infected with COVID-19 will experience long COVID. In the U.S., that could mean up to 24 million Americans (if cases do not exceed 80 million, which is unlikely). This means a substantial chunk of the U.S. workforce will need help — and traditional care models won’t cut it, says Dr. Akl Fahed, chief medical adviser at integrative health platform Goodpath.
