Long Covid Isn't Just Leaving People Sick – It's Taking Everything They've Got
People suffering with long-term symptoms of Covid-19 have revealed how the virus has impacted their ability to work – and in some cases, left them in financial ruin.
One in 10 people are reporting a longer tail of symptoms, which exceeds the suggested two-week recovery time from the virus. The issue has been dubbed ‘long Covid’, as people struggle with extreme fatigue, breathlessness and problems with concentration and memory for months.
Many are unable to return to work because of these extended symptoms – and even those who do feel ready to work aren’t necessarily able to perform at the same capacity they once did. One woman told HuffPost UK she was made redundant over the summer and has just £3,000 in savings. She doesn’t feel well enough to leave the house, let alone look for another job. She’s applied for benefits, but worries how she’ll pay her mortgage and bills going forward.
While some have found their workplaces to be sympathetic to their condition, others are worried about the lack of support from employers and the government when it comes to the estimated 600,000 people in the UK struggling with long-term symptoms of the virus.
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Christina Barratt, 50, who had a busy sales job, hasn’t been able to work for six months. She first developed Covid-19 symptoms on March 28 – a fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, and a “crushing pressure” around her rib cage. No tests were available at the time, so she was diagnosed with Covid-19 based on her symptoms by paramedics and a GP.
In the first four months, Barratt, who lives alone in Manchester, only left the house twice for hospital appointments. During this time she felt so weak, she’d sit on the floor to feed her cats, then pull herself up with the cupboard handle.
“I feel unwell all the time,” she...
