Introduction to
Long COVID Europe
The Condition
What is Long COVID?
Long COVID is when, after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, symptoms persist for longer than 12 weeks. Long COVID is a highly debilitating, multi-system condition with fluctuating symptoms.
Who is Vulnerable to Long COVID?
There is no direct link between the severity of Long COVID and the severity of the initial infection. Though hospitalized patients run a greater risk, most Long COVID patients experienced mild (or even asymptomatic) initial infections.
The Organisation
What Are We?
Long COVID Europe (LCE) is a European network of Long COVID patient associations run by (current and former) Long COVID patients.
Why Do We Exist?
LCE was founded because many Long COVID patient organizations were struggling with the same issues. LCE creates economies of scale by sharing relevant resources, know-how, and contacts with its members.
What Do We Do?
Our Mission statement
- We offer unique expertise as a patient network, helping third parties cover their patient-centric blind spots.
- We gather information concerning Long COVID to curate and share with Long COVID stakeholders.
What Do We Hope to Achieve?
Our Vision statement
- Recognition of Long COVID as an impactful pandemic within the COVID-19 pandemic that urgently needs to be addressed by governments and the healthcare sector, with physical causes, also affecting young people.
- Research and knowledge distribution via extra funding for patient-centric Long COVID research in multi-disciplinary networks, with an urgent focus on trustworthy diagnostics and ways to eliminate hurdles for patient rehab.
- Rehabilitation based on medical needs using a multi-disciplinary approach, freed from counterproductive administrative and financial hurdles, with sufficient support for those with little or no access to informal care.
