Long Covid: How Big a Problem?

Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz, who goes by the handle HealthNerd on X (Twitter, remember?) jas an article in Slate What the Latest Evidence Actually* Says About Long Covid. The sub-headline is

A new study looks at data from patients two years after their initial infection. It contains some alarming figures—until you dig into them.

Yeah, pretty much. I love it when people look at questions like "Who is in the studied group, and who is in the controls? Are they representative?" or "What sort of result would be a bad one versus a meh?"

So, what does the study actually** show? It shows that there is a large risk of long-term issues for people who have been hospitalized with COVID-19. This is entirely expected. If you get sick enough with any disease to the point where you require hospitalization, you are almost guaranteed some measure of long-term issues. Getting really sick is bad for your health.

The study compares people seeking care at VA facilities - and older, male, generally less-healthy group, with controls. Trying to compare back to the general population we see a small increase in likelihood of a couple of conditions. Real, and good information to have, but not shocking.

*There's that Asperger's word actually from someone who proudly calls himself a nerd, again.

**And there it is again, again.