BACKGROUND:Long COVID is a complex, heterogeneous syndrome affecting over four hundred million people globally. There are few recommendations, and no formal training exists for medical professionals to assist with clinical evaluation and management of patients with Long COVID. More research into the pathology, cellular, and molecular mechanisms of Long COVID, and treatments is needed. The goal of this work is to disseminate essential information about Long COVID and recommendations about definition, diagnosis, treatment, research and social issues to physicians, researchers, and policy makers to address this escalating global health crisis. METHODS:A 3-round modified Delphi consensus methodology was distributed internationally to 179 healthcare professionals, researchers, and persons with lived experience of Long COVID in 28 countries. Statements were combined into specific areas: definition, diagnosis, treatment, research, and society. RESULTS:The survey resulted in 187 comprehensive statements reaching consensus with the strongest areas being diagnosis and clinical assessment, and general research. We establish conditions for diagnosis of different subgroups within the Long COVID umbrella. Clear consensus was reached that the impacts of COVID-19 infection on children should be a research priority, and additionally on the need to determine the effects of Long COVID on societies and economies. The consensus on COVID and Long COVID is that it affects the nervous system and other organs and is not likely to be observed with initial symptoms. We note, biomarkers are critically needed to address these issues. CONCLUSIONS:This work forms initial guidance to address the spectrum of Long COVID as a disease and reinforces the need for translational research and large-scale treatment trials for treatment protocols.

Zugehörigkeit der AutorInnen: World Health Network Korrespondierende Autorin: Spela, Salamon, salamon.spela.md@gmail.com Zusammenfassung Die andauernden globalen Auswirkungen der COVID-19-Pandemie verursachen weiterhin erheblichen Schaden. Zahlreiche Studien weisen darauf hin, dass selbst milde Infektionen sowie Reinfektionen zu sowohl symptomatischen als auch subklinischen gesundheitlichen Beeinträchtigungen, Behinderungen und chronischen Problemen führen können. Vaskuläre Schäden, die Neigung des Virus, Nervengewebe zu … Continued

Author Affiliations: World Health Network Corresponding author: Spela, Salamon, salamon.spela.md@gmail.com Abstract The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic persists, causing significant harm. Extensive evidence indicates that even mild infections and reinfections can result in symptomatic and subclinical health damage, disability, and persistent infection. Vascular impacts, neurotropism, and immune dysregulation lead to impaired organ function, increased … Continued

Long COVID, as currently defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other authorities, is a symptomatic condition that has been shown to affect an estimated 10-30% of non-hospitalized patients after one infection. However, COVID-19 can also cause organ damage in individuals without symptoms, who would not fall under the current definition of Long COVID. This organ damage, whether symptomatic or not, can lead to various health impacts such as heart attacks and strokes. Given these observations, it is necessary to either expand the definition of Long COVID to include organ damage or recognize COVID-19-induced organ damage as a distinct condition affecting many symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals after COVID-19 infections. It is important to consider that many known adverse health outcomes, including heart conditions and cancers, can be asymptomatic until harm thresholds are reached. Many more medical conditions can be identified by testing than those that are recognized through reported symptoms. It is therefore important to similarly recognize that while Long COVID symptoms are associated with organ damage, there are many individuals that have organ damage without displaying recognized symptoms and to include this harm in the characterization of COVID-19 and in the monitoring of individuals after COVID-19 infections.

Long COVID, as currently defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other authorities, is a symptomatic condition that has been shown to affect an estimated 10 %-30 % of non-hospitalized patients after one infection. However, COVID-19 can also cause organ damage in individuals without symptoms, who would not fall under the current definition of Long COVID. This organ damage, whether symptomatic or not, can lead to various health impacts such as heart attacks and strokes. Given these observations, it is necessary to either expand the definition of Long COVID to include organ damage or recognize COVID-19-induced organ damage as a distinct condition affecting many symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals after COVID-19 infections. It is important to consider that many known adverse health outcomes, including heart conditions and cancers, can be asymptomatic until harm thresholds are reached. Many more medical conditions can be identified by testing than those that are recognized through reported symptoms. It is therefore important to similarly recognize that while Long COVID symptoms are associated with organ damage, there are many individuals that have organ damage without displaying recognized symptoms and to include this harm in the characterization of COVID-19 and in the monitoring of individuals after COVID-19 infections.

Needless to say, words have meaning. The selection of words modulates the message understood by the receiver. With regard to COVID, terms such as "seasonal", "like a cold", and "like the flu" can be selected by writers to paint a portrait that lulls the reader into a false sense of security, drawing comparisons between a … Continued

This paper delves into the fusion of artificial intelligence (AI) and emotional intelligence (EQ) by analyzing the frameworks of international sustainability agendas driven by UNESCO, WEF, and UNICEF. It explores the potential of AI integrated with EQ to effectively address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability. The integration of EQ into AI use is pivotal in using AI to improve educational outcomes and health services, as emphasized by UNESCO and UNICEF’s significant initiatives. This paper highlights the evolving role of AI in understanding and managing human emotions, particularly in personalizing education and healthcare. It proposes that the ethical use of AI, combined with EQ principles, has the power to transform societal interactions and decision-making processes, leading to a more inclusive, sustainable, and healthier global community. Furthermore, this paper considers the ethical dimensions of AI deployment, guided by UNESCO’s recommendations on AI ethics, which advocate for transparency, accountability, and inclusivity in AI developments. It also examines the World Economic Forum’s insights into AI’s potential to revolutionize learning and healthcare in underserved populations, emphasizing the significance of fair AI advancements. By integrating perspectives from prominent global organizations, this paper offers a strategic approach to combining AI with EQ, enhancing the capacity of AI systems to meaningfully address global challenges. In conclusion, this paper advocates for the establishment of a new Sustainable Development Goal, SDG 18, focused on the ethical integration of AI and EQ across all sectors, ensuring that technology advances the well-being of humanity and global sustainability.

Waves of COVID-19 infections have continued all around the world as new variants appear. The expectation that previous infections would reduce the probability or severity of the disease has proved to be incorrect [1]. While deaths during the acute phase have been decreasing, in part due to improved disease treatment and vaccination, excess mortality continues … Continued

The World Health Network (WHN) is urging governments not to let their guard down and to continue to protect everyone, especially vulnerable populations, with COVID mitigation strategies. The recent announcement made by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the emergency phase of the pandemic is over has been interpreted by many governments as the time … Continued

While our knowledge expands faster than ever, our ability to anticipate and respond to global challenges or opportunities remains limited. A political upheaval in one country, a technological innovation in another, or an epidemic in a far-away city – any of these can create a global change cascade with many unexpected repercussions. Why is this? … Continued

The COVID-19 pandemic has starkly illuminated an existent, yet often overlooked, chasm in our public health systems and governmental response: the shortfall of tangible operational capabilities, including delayed response times, lack of coordinated action, and failure to execute preparedness plans effectively. The rampant spread of the virus, followed by its significant societal fallout, wasn’t primarily … Continued

It’s been said that a smile is worth a thousand words. But in today’s world, the smiles of healthcare workers abandoning their masks on social media are chilling to those whose access to safe healthcare is thus denied. The removal of mask requirements in many healthcare institutions is causing infections with immediate and long term … Continued

The massive wildfires raging across numerous locations worldwide are producing a significant amount of smoke, particles, and other air pollutants. As a result, the summer of 2023 has highlighted the critical importance of air quality on health. But the covid pandemic with its highly transmissible airborne virus already taught us that bad air quality leads … Continued

In mid-XIXth century Vienna, Ignaz Semmelweis found that washing hands in obstetrical clinics drastically reduced mortality, and lost his life in the struggle to make doctors wash their hands. His contemporaries ignored his findings, and only decades later, when the germ theory of disease was accepted, doctors began washing their hands regularly. How many people … Continued

Sustainable mental health and wellbeing (MHW), as addressed under SDG3, is crucial for achieving sustainable development, notably for sustainable SMEs growth. MWH is specifically interlinked with SDGs 8, 9 and 11: Economic growth and prosperity, sustainable communities, innovation, and jobs. Studies show over 200 million workdays are lost due to poor MHW each year, referring to the global cost of $1 trillion/year in lost productivity and it is increasing every year. Poor workplace MWH is almost an epidemic after COVID-19. It will be a significant challenge for a long time, in particular for SMEs which are hit hardest by the pandemic, as MHW problems have been shown to be a COVID side effect among 1:5 people. Despite the multifactorial aetiology of MHW (individual, social, environmental, and organizational), interventions for workplace MHW mostly refer to ‘one size fits all’ and top-down solutions, primarily asking for the commitment and behaviour change of employees; that has shown to be ineffective. The main assumption underlying the present work is the need for a proactive and tailored MHW frameworks that can be blended to organizational policies. The objective which corresponds to the main purpose of the paper is to provide a 5-staged MWH model, stemming from our evidence-based studies, that may speak for the identified need. We also discuss how the Model can provide a route map on how SMEs can implement and measure SDGs relevant to their business in synergistic interaction with SDG3.