Long Covid Predicted to Cost OECD Economies $135 Billion a Year

The pandemic might be over, but new research indicates long Covid is likely to reverberate across OECD economies, costing up to $135 billion a year over the next decade.

The global forum’s new analysis shows the direct health-care costs of long Covid combined with the wider effect of people leaving the workforce and lower productivity will have a lasting impact. Economic growth could be reduced by as much as 0.2%, according to the OECD, because the virus continues to spread, swelling the ranks of people with long Covid.