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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA Tsunami of Disability Is Coming as a Result of 'Long Covid'
A Tsunami of Disability Is Coming as a Result of 'Long Covid
Even as U.S. policy makers and business leaders seek to put the COVID pandemic in the rearview mirror with the help of highly effective vaccines, a fundamental policy and planning gap is looming. Many who survive the initial viral illness suffer debilitating long-term sequelae. Unlike the common cold or even influenza, this virus causes a bewildering array of symptoms that persist long after the acute illness is resolved and can render some affected unable to resume their usual activities. As scientists and clinicians continue to delineate the long-haul course of COVID, policy makers and planners must anticipate and prepare for the impact of this new cause of disability, including its implications for federal and private workers compensation and disability insurance programs and support services.
Consider the numbers we know. At least 34 million Americans (and probably many more) have already contracted COVID. An increasing number of studies find that greater than one fourth of patients have developed some form of long COVID. (In one study from China, three quarters of patients had at least one ongoing symptom six months after hospital discharge, and in another report more than half of infected health care workers had symptoms seven to eight months later.) Initial indications suggest that the likelihood of developing persistent symptoms may not be related to the severity of the initial illness; it is even conceivable that infections that were initially asymptomatic could later cause persistent problems.
Common long-term symptoms include fatigue; respiratory problems; brain fog; cardiac, renal and gastrointestinal issues; and loss of smell and taste. Surprising manifestations continue to emerge, such as the recent realization that infection may precipitate diabetes.
For some, symptoms have now continued for many months with no apparent end in sight, with many survivors fearing that they will simply have to adjust to a new normal. More and more sufferers have not been able to return to work, even months after their initial illness. While the number of patients with persistent illness remains undetermined this early in the pandemic, estimates suggest that millions of Americans may enter the ranks of the permanently disabled.
Snip
Even as U.S. policy makers and business leaders seek to put the COVID pandemic in the rearview mirror with the help of highly effective vaccines, a fundamental policy and planning gap is looming. Many who survive the initial viral illness suffer debilitating long-term sequelae. Unlike the common cold or even influenza, this virus causes a bewildering array of symptoms that persist long after the acute illness is resolved and can render some affected unable to resume their usual activities. As scientists and clinicians continue to delineate the long-haul course of COVID, policy makers and planners must anticipate and prepare for the impact of this new cause of disability, including its implications for federal and private workers compensation and disability insurance programs and support services.
Consider the numbers we know. At least 34 million Americans (and probably many more) have already contracted COVID. An increasing number of studies find that greater than one fourth of patients have developed some form of long COVID. (In one study from China, three quarters of patients had at least one ongoing symptom six months after hospital discharge, and in another report more than half of infected health care workers had symptoms seven to eight months later.) Initial indications suggest that the likelihood of developing persistent symptoms may not be related to the severity of the initial illness; it is even conceivable that infections that were initially asymptomatic could later cause persistent problems.
Common long-term symptoms include fatigue; respiratory problems; brain fog; cardiac, renal and gastrointestinal issues; and loss of smell and taste. Surprising manifestations continue to emerge, such as the recent realization that infection may precipitate diabetes.
For some, symptoms have now continued for many months with no apparent end in sight, with many survivors fearing that they will simply have to adjust to a new normal. More and more sufferers have not been able to return to work, even months after their initial illness. While the number of patients with persistent illness remains undetermined this early in the pandemic, estimates suggest that millions of Americans may enter the ranks of the permanently disabled.
Snip
More at link
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-tsunami-of-disability-is-coming-as-a-result-of-lsquo-long-covid-rsquo/#click=https://t.co/t8ziJHt55R
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A Tsunami of Disability Is Coming as a Result of 'Long Covid' (Original Post)
tblue37
Aug 2021
OP
2naSalit
(86,824 posts)1. I've been wondering...
When this would become a reality for many.
Wounded Bear
(58,728 posts)2. So much could have been avoided...
Comfortably_Numb
(3,834 posts)3. .....if we hadn't had a psychotic subhuman in the White House
Drumph is going to have a legacy alright. Like Stalin, Hitler, and Pol Pot. Welcome to the history books Donnie Scumbag.
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)4. I've thought about this
Read an article from UK's NHS discussing the immense impact this will have and the tremendous need for additional social supports in the near future.
I wonder how SSA will manage?
Ty for sharing.
area51
(11,925 posts)5. This is something I've been wondering about,
that our govt. is unprepared for huge numbers of people having to file for disability.
Auggie
(31,204 posts)6. Kick (Long Covid is another Elephant in the Room)