COVID-19, Vaccination and Longer-term health consequences of COVID-19 in Luxembourg 

Despite the broad availability of effective vaccines against COVID-19, societies continue to face multifaceted challenges emanating from the pandemic. A major question presently concerns the longer-term effects of COVID-19, especially in terms of long COVID, including in children. Furthermore, the vaccines' effectiveness in light of emerging variants, waning immunity, and vaccination hesitancy contribute to uncertainty on the best strategy to adopt in the months and years to come.
The CoVaLux research programme tackles the most pertinent and urgent research questions concerning the COVID-19 pandemic in an agile and flexible manner, leveraging the extensive interdisciplinary expertise represented by the different public research institutions in Luxembourg, and in particular the activities deployed by the COVID-19 Task Force of Research Luxembourg.
Its two main research axes focus on:
the symptomatology, prevalence, and socioeconomic factors of long COVID, and the short- to mid-term impacts of vaccination.
By providing the necessary data and empirical evidence, CoVaLux contributes towards: enhanced prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, support, and treatment of long COVID and the optimisation of the vaccination campaign in Luxembourg.
By interacting with and responding to urgent requests and needs, CoVaLux directly supports stakeholders and enables evidence-based decision making with immediate, tangible impacts on society and the healthcare system.
Finally, through its population-based approach as well as the extensive data generated in Luxembourg, the results of this nationwide test case will be of immediate international relevance and will promote collaborations with expected major impacts on epidemic risk mitigation.

LISER focuses on Work Package (WP) 4 (“Socio-economic determinants and economic consequences associated with long COVID and vaccination, with focus on labour market and health care costs”).
WP4 has three main objectives:
to arrive at robust assessments of how socioeconomic determinants shape vaccination willingness, building on and expanding international evidence;
to investigate possible socioeconomic determinants of occurrence, severity, and persistence of long COVID across childhood and up to late adulthood; and
to analyse the healthcare and economic consequences of long COVID in Luxembourg, investigating, among other outcomes, work absences, foregone earnings, and healthcare costs.
LISER (via Marc Suhrcke and Valerie Moran) will help supervise work on especially the second and third objective.
LISER will work mainly with data from Predi-COVID and CON-VINCE/ORCHESTRA for these purposes, possibly with IGSS data. State-of-the-art statistical, micro-econometric methods will be applied for the analysis across the three objectives, controlling for potential confounding and, where possible, other sources of endogeneity, complemented by interviews with representatives of communities and stakeholders. WP1 and WP2 will feed data and data analyses into WP4.

LISER stands to gain a multitude of advantages by actively participating in CoVaLux, the consortium dedicated to researching Long COVID. As a consortium member, LISER is seamlessly integrated into a network rich in expertise and resources, facilitating collaborative efforts with other members. Additionally, a dedicated postdoctoral researcher, employed by UL and managed by Prof Anja Leist, will be engaged in the project, allowing LISER to contribute significantly to the research endeavors. Regular meetings, attended by LISER staff, will serve as platforms for discussion, ensuring continuous progress and alignment with the project's objectives. Furthermore, LISER will enjoy indirect access to invaluable data and expertise related to Long COVID, enabling a deeper understanding of the topic. Actively engaging in the consortium's activities, LISER's staff will not only enhance their knowledge but also have the opportunity to provide insightful input. Moreover, LISER will co-author a minimum of two scientific publications arising from the project, a significant achievement that will enhance the institution's visibility and reputation in the academic community. These publications will not only serve as a testament to LISER's contributions but also act as effective channels for disseminating their research findings, further bolstering their influence in the field. Through CoVaLux, LISER is poised to make substantial strides in Long COVID research while simultaneously enhancing its academic standing and collaborative prowess.