There's Now an Outbreak of 'Brain Fog'

The number of working-age Americans who report suffering from the malady known as "brain fog" keeps rising. The New York Times reports that 16.5 million people ages 18 to 64 are in that boat, roughly the same number who report having trouble walking or taking the stairs. The stat comes from the Census Bureau, which puts out a monthly survey that, among other things, asks people if they have serious trouble with memory or concentration. For comparison, the number was at 15 million in early 2020.

Not surprisingly, the likely culprit appears to be long COVID, which counts brain fog among its varied symptoms. In a blog at Liberty Street Economics, economist Richard Deitz previously dug into the subject and predicted it will be a challenge for both employees and employers "for some time to come." About two-thirds of the people who reported having such trouble in the census survey said the problem is a new one for them, again jibing with the notion that long COVID is behind the surge. The increase has been particularly sharp among those ages 18 to 44.

One complicating factor in dealing with the issue in the workplace is that the cognitive trouble is so different for individuals. Long COVID symptoms range from mild to severe and last for anywhere from a few weeks to years, according to the CDC. Research suggests 20% to 30% of people who come down with COVID still have some degree of cognitive trouble several months later, per the Times. "I felt like I was permanently hung over, drunk, high, and in a brain freeze all at once" is how one 30-year-old describes it to the newspaper. (It's possible that serotonin, or a lack thereof, plays a role in long COVID.)