Long COVID has had a brutal effect on the workforce, study finds

The post-viral condition has prevented significant numbers of employees from returning to work, especially women and those aged over 60 or with co-morbidities.

Long COVID is still stopping substantial numbers of people from returning to the workforce, finds a study of workers' compensation claims from New York State, USA. Between 1 January 2020 and 31 March 2022, the New York State Insurers Fund analysed more than 3,000 workers' compensation claims for COVID-19.

The condition is defined by the World Health Organization as the "continuation or development of new symptoms three months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, with these symptoms lasting for at least two months with no other explanation." The main symptoms are a shortness of breath, fatigue and weakness, depression, anxiety, and symptoms associated with memory difficulties.

In the first two years of the pandemic, about 71% of people suffering from Long COVID required ongoing medical treatment or had been unable to find work for six months or more. More than a year after contracting the coronavirus, 18% of Long COVID patients had still not returned to work, more than three-quarters of them younger than 60 years old, the analysis found. For those over 60 years old, Long COVID meant they faced significant difficulty in returning to their regular employment, with challenges increasing with age.

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