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Evidence is mounting that Covid is bad for the brain

By Faye Flam

27 Jan 2023 · 4 min read

Editor's Note

A Bloomberg columnist cites several studies to come to a conclusion none of us want to hear: Covid infections are linked with with "brain fog" and memory lapses, with potentially deep societal cost.

The possibility that a covid infection could damage your brain is terrifying. Scientists have established that long covid often manifests itself with neurological changes - brain fog, memory problems, fatigue. And some researchers have found changes in the brain after even mild cases of the virus. Every time I go on Twitter I see another horrible personal anecdote, often reflecting changes in brain processing speed and an increase in confusion and errors.

There's also potentially a deep societal and economic cost. One Brookings Institution report estimated that perhaps 4 million Americans have been unable to work due to long covid; some of these sufferers have blamed brain fog for ruining their ability to think. What will happen to human beings if our brainpower gets blunted?

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