Long COVID is disabling millions of Americans. These are the top health stories you need to know about

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.

Author: Shyam Bishen, Head, Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare, Member of Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

• This weekly round-up brings you key health stories from the past fortnight.
• Top stories: Psychiatrists in Brussels prescribe cultural experiences to combat mental health problems; Long-COVID is disabling millions of Americans; Loneliness can age us faster than smoking.

1. News in brief: Top health stories to read

Psychiatrists in the Belgian capital Brussels are to start offering museum visits on prescription, to try and help people with depression, stress or anxiety. The six-month pilot scheme gives people a free visit to one of five museums run by the city authorities.

Large Chinese cities including Shenzhen and Shanghai have ramped up testing for COVID-19 as infections rise. Some local authorities have swiftly closed schools, entertainment venues and tourist spots.

Switzerland’s drugs regulator has temporarily approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster targeting the original and BA.1 Omicron COVID-19 variants.

Lebanon has recorded its first case of cholera since 1993. It is likely the result of a serious outbreak in neighbouring Syria, caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad says.

This follows the news that a cholera outbreak in Malawi has killed more than 100 people since March.

A new study looking at the impact of concussion on a group of former Scottish international rugby players has found that they were 15 times more likely to develop motor neurone disease than the general population.

The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to a Swedish geneticist for discoveries that underpin our understanding of how modern-day people evolved from extinct ancestors.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ended its COVID-19 country travel health notices, as fewer countries are reporting enough data for accurate assessments.

2. Long COVID is disabling millions of Americans, new report reveals

More than 80% of the nearly 24 million adults in the US who have long COVID are having some trouble carrying out daily activities, according to new data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .

Between 14 September and 26 September, more than one in four adults with long COVID reported significant limitations on day-to-day activities. It is closer to 40% for respondents who are Black, Latino or disabled.

Long COVID symptoms can include shortness of breath, cognitive difficulties and symptoms that worsen even with minimal physical or mental effort – a primary indicator of chronic fatigue syndrome, according to the CDC.

Up to 4 million people in the US are estimated to be out of work because of long COVID symptoms, according to a Brookings Institute report in August. Although long COVID is recognized as a disability in the US, there is no test for the illness. Social security benefits require proof that a person has had the condition for at least a year.

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How is the World Economic Forum improving the state of healthcare?

The World Economic Forum’s Platform for Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare works with government and business to identify and scale up solutions for more resilient, efficient, and equitable healthcare systems.

• The Forum actively supports global vaccine delivery, contributing to COVAX having delivered more than 1 billion COVID-19 vaccines and launching Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, helping to save more than 13 million lives over 20 years.
• Through the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, the Forum is helping accelerate progress on discovery, testing and delivery of interventions for Alzheimer’s.
• In partnership with Deloitte, the Forum developed a toolkit to support lawmakers in developing successful policies on technology for mental health.
• Through its COVID Action Platform, the Forum and its partners provided solutions to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, launching more than 40 initiatives to protect lives and livelihoods and keep workers well.
• The Forum’s Global Coalition for Value in Healthcare is working to create a more sustainable and equal healthcare industry, launching its first value-based healthcare innovation hubs to eliminate ineffective spending on global health.
• The UHC2030 Private Sector Constituency, hosted by the Forum, released a statement highlighting the role the private sector can play in achieving universal health coverage.

Contact us for more information on how to get involved.

3. Loneliness can age us faster than smoking, new study finds

Feeling unhappy or being lonely can add up to 1.65 years to a person’s biological age, according to a new study from researchers at Hong Kong start-up Deep Longevity, Stanford University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

This aggregate effect exceeds the effects of biological sex, living area, marital status and smoking status, according to the report.

The researchers gathered data by using an “ageing clock” based on information collected from 4,846 adults in 2015 as part of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

A total of 16 blood biomarkers were measured, including cholesterol and glucose levels, participants’ sex and information such as their blood pressure, body mass index and measures of lung function.

Following the findings, the authors say that promoting mental health should be considered a potential anti-ageing intervention, with possible benefits on par with more tangible, physical therapeutic approaches.

“Taking care of your psychological health is the greatest contributor to slowing down your pace of ageing,” said Fedor Galkin, a co-author of the study and Lead Scientist at Deep Longevity.

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