- Research looks at the complications caused by “long COVID”
- Some people infected with COVID-19 suffer persistent symptoms, which often require them to work a modified schedule or prevent them from working at all
- It is unclear how common long COVID is or how long symptoms will last
Summary by Dirk Langeveld
If you have employees who were infected by COVID-19 during the pandemic, it could be prudent to keep in touch with them on any enduring complications. Recent research finds that “long COVID” is associated with more than 200 symptoms affecting 10 organ systems, often impeding an employee’s ability to work.
Long COVID involves the emergence of symptoms several months after infection that can cause long-term debilitation. The study looked at nearly 4,000 people from nearly 56 countries suffering from long COVID, with the average person reporting 14 symptoms six months after infection.
- Fatigue, brain fog, and post-exertional malaise were the most commonly reported symptoms
- 45 percent of long COVID sufferers had to work a reduced schedule, and 22 percent were unable to work at all
- Early research has focused on patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19, so it is unclear how common long COVID is or how long the symptoms will last; current studies estimate that 10 to 30 percent of COVID-19 patients will develop more persistent symptoms
