Thread by @CoronaEnglish

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Very interesting article on «Long Covid» (milder cases with long term effects) and it's impact on public health and economy.
According to the British office for Statistics, every 10th case leads to long term symptoms.
#CoronaInfoCH #LongCovid

nzz.ch/schweiz/volksk…

An epidemiologist from Universität Zürich thinks that 20% of all even mild cases will have long term effects on one's health.

The German Robert-Koch-Institut estimates 40% of all hospitalized cases to have negative long term effects. In Switzerland that is 7000 people so far, according to the numbers of previous hospitalisations. (21000 hospilalised, 17000 survived).

To this numbers, we have to add 490'000 people in CH that had a mild versio. Given the British statistics, 50'000-100'000 of these might suffer from «Long Covid».

The Swiss Covid Taks Force writes in their «Long Covid Briefing» that these patinents suffer from chronic shortness of breath and other physical and mental disabilities after their Covid-19 infection.

Currently, «Long Covid» suffereres have a hard time finding help. On the contrary, other countries have already openend Long Covid clinics. Great Britain has 69 of those clinics.

Long Covid also causes a major challenge when it comes to the question of 'who pays the costs'. It's difficult to get a health insurance pay for the treatment, as symptoms are similar to other diseases.

It's also a major challenge in terms of social security / insurance. Will the symptoms of long covid not disappear, also other insurances will come into place. In Switzerland it's the IV (Invalidenversicherung) that covers your loss of income due to illness.

For people suffering from Long Covid symtpoms, it will at some point also be a question where they got infected. In private – or at work? The judges that will have to decide over this, which is obviously complicated, and decide which insurance comes into place.

It will also be difficult to distinguish if someones symptoms that cause inability to work are due to Covid. E.g. chronical exhaustion could also be due to depression, etc. Similar challenges / debates have been faced by illnesses such as whiplash.

Bottom line, the situation about Long Covid sufferers will be complicated and be a major struggle for them. The Swiss government needs a lot of further research to learn more about Long Covid and perhaps to adjust certain insurance policies, both work, social and private.