In a recent study published in the journal JAMA of another 15,308 people who had previously had Covid-19, researchers found that those living with post-Covid-19 illness or long Covid are less likely to work full-time than those who do. I don’t have Covid for long.
Long Covid is diagnosed when symptoms of infection last longer than two months after an individual has tested negative. One of the main symptoms presented by other people with long Covid is chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalitis (MS); researchers have estimated that nearly 50% of long Covid patients suffer from MS that can persist for several months. Those who have suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome in the past are also more likely to relapse after being inflamed with Covid.
To dig deeper into the duration of Covid’s occupational impact on people’s lives, a team of researchers conducted a survey that included senior U. S. citizens aged 18 to 69 from February 2021 to March 2022. About 70% of them were white. And 63% were women. The participants were then asked about their symptoms and whether they had resolved two months or more after a Covid infection. Of the 15,308 people, only 14. 6%, or 2,236, had reported long Covid symptoms.
Their symptoms ranged from dizziness to common shortness of breath. The researchers also paid attention to whether participants complained of difficulty concentrating or concentrating on a task. In a JAMA article, the study’s lead author, Roy Perlis of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said, “Previous studies had not focused sufficiently on cognitive symptoms applicable to long COVID. “
“It’s not about decreasing all the other symptoms — the autonomic symptoms that other people experience, the fatigue, the respiratory symptoms — but I’m focusing on the brain aspect,” he explained.
Of the total number of participants, 9. 3% were unemployed. Of the 2236 participants who had long Covid, 12. 3% said they were unemployed. By contrast, only 8. 7% of those who did not have long Covid reported not having a task or working full-time.
The team further noted that 46% of participants who had had Covid for a long time suffered from brain fog or memory problems; This made them more likely to be unemployed.
“The effects of this research underscore the importance of finding methods to respond to the post-Covid state, i. e. , related neurocognitive symptoms,” the researchers concluded in their JAMAArray.
“It is worth investigating the question of whether rehabilitation methods drawn from neurology and psychiatry can help mitigate the effect of such symptoms. More broadly, while the true economic effect of the pandemic is difficult to estimate, those findings highlight the “It is important to note the lingering effects of lost productivity,” they added.
Over the past year, researchers have noted that the long duration of Covid has significant economic impacts. A 2022 report claims that the long Covid era has resulted in losses worth $170 billion in lost wages alone. About one million U. S. -based employeesUU. no can re-enter the workforce, due to long Covid.
Full policy and updates on the coronavirus.