Evidence Is Mounting That Covid Is Bad for the Brain

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?