COVID-19’s Long-Term Impact on Brain Health and the Economy
In a knowledge-based economy, the condition of our brains is highly valued. The question arises: how much value we place on understanding the factors impacting brain health and developing solutions to maintain optimal brain function? This is particularly relevant in the context of “brain capital,” encompassing brain skills and overall brain health, which is crucial for global growth and prosperity. As scientists learn more about the lasting consequences of SARS-CoV-2—the virus causing COVID-19—these questions gain further importance for businesses and the economy.
The fight against viruses extends beyond simply preventing death. When Kenneth Irving and his partners founded Rocket Science Health in 2017, they prioritized societal impact, including pandemic preparedness. Irving posed a critical question: what if the respiratory virus could enter the central nervous system, or otherwise affect the brain? What potential long-term consequences might emerge, and could we be adequately prepared with answers and solutions?
This led to the creation of the Viral Neural Exploration (VINEx) venture in April 2020, which I lead. VINEx’s growth mirrors a growing recognition that the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic wouldn’t end with vaccination for everyone. Initially raised by researchers and clinicians, and later by individuals experiencing the effects firsthand—through social media organizing and public health officials—there has been a lack of discussion regarding how the pandemic’s impact on brain health affects businesses and the economy, not just through reduced productivity and employee absences, but also because of a loss of optimal brain function.
Estimates suggest that 10 to 35 percent of COVID-19 survivors experience symptoms that persist for weeks or even months—known as “Long COVID.” This phenomenon can be debilitating, with as many as 200 reported symptoms. Many of these symptoms are neurological or psychiatric, including headaches, “brain fog,” chronic fatigue, impaired memory or concentration, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Research indicates that if we consider the evidence of other infectious diseases causing prolonged complications – including post-pandemic brain impacts observed in the Russian and Spanish flu – the potential scale of COVID-19’s impact warrants serious attention. However, the extent of the challenge is clear: COVID-19’s pervasive effects could significantly impact our available workforce for years to come. A survey conducted by VINEx, the COVID Long Haulers Support Group Canada, and Neurological Health Charities Canada, revealed that approximately one in seven individuals with severe COVID-19 still had symptoms 15 weeks after their diagnosis.
As we learn that women, specific socio-demographic groups, and ethnic and racial minorities are disproportionately affected by the virus, another barrier to their full economic participation is created. Women, who shoulder the majority of caretaking and household management, may experience a disruption in their ability to work full time, and this may require paid leaves of absence. Furthermore, individuals with Long COVID do not only affect adults; estimates of the incidence of Long COVID in children have varied, but according to a U.K. study, up to 14 percent still had symptoms 15 weeks after a positive COVID diagnosis. This has affected parents and guardians, who may need to take leave of absence.
At the start of the pandemic, we could hardly have imagined a virus – not another financial crisis – would have such a broad impact on the global economy. The amount of negative economic growth associated with this pandemic is currently estimated to range from US$10 trillion to more than US$16 trillion—multiples of the economic impact of the Great Recession. The cost is projected to increase to US$1.7 trillion by 2030, if, for example, increases in care costs are not factored in. These figures don’t include the additional financial impact caused by Long COVID; according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, “because there are approximately seven times as many survivors from severe or critical COVID-19 disease as there are COVID-19 deaths, long-term impairment might affect more than twice as many people as the number of people who die.”
The brain is not a closed system; it is impacted by the rest of the human system and by the external environment. Brain health is not just a function of “good genes.” It is mostly determined by the interplay of genes, lifestyle, and the environment. Lifestyle and trauma matter, as do environmental factors, including viruses and other infectious agents, which, however they enter the human system, may trigger responses in other parts of the system. For instance, less than one percent of Alzheimer’s cases have a direct genetic cause; the prevailing idea is there’s a combination of genes, lifestyle, and the environment all playing a role. Research on the brain has therefore evolved from neuroscience to many different fields and disciplines converging, and to a broader view of how what is happening outside of the brain must be part of understanding brain function and brain disease. Canada has been a leader in interdisciplinary research that requires us to connect concepts previously thought to be unrelated, and the intersection of the brain and infectious agents is an area of research that needs greater attention and investment.
The interconnected approach applies to businesses and the economy. They exist within a larger ecosystem and external shocks—political, climatic, viral—can bring about paradigm changes, requiring us to draw on capital and talent, to deploy our brain skills to find solutions. The brain, business, and the economy are intimately connected. Inez Jabalpurwala is Global Director of Viral Neural Exploration (VINEx), and the founding president of the Brain Canada Foundation.
