The disease that caused a global pandemic is still affecting some of its earliest victims today. 2 million people in the UK are currently suffering from the after affects covid. And with no known cure, long covid is continuing to ruin everyday people’s lives almost three years later.
As most of us return to normal life it is very easy to forget that covid is still very much present in our lives today. And though for most catching the disease means only 10 days of isolation, if that, the disease can still plague some years after they first caught it. With 5.5% of people infected by Covid-19 will develop life-changing chronic illness due to the disease it is still at the utmost importance to continue to research ways to prevent and stop this life ruining disease.
The symptoms of long covid include fatigue, breathlessness, anxiety, and sleep problems to name a few. However, the problems that come with long covid do not end there. According to a Brookings report up to 4 million people in the US alone have either lost their job or simply are unable to work since having long covid creating major financial struggle for millions of families worldwide.
According to Dr Darja Reuschke, an Associate Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Southampton, the affects of long covid will not only affect the individuals plagued by it. She says “It is important to connect health and economic issues” as “the effects of this (long covid) is what we can feel now in the economy.” She says long covid affects us all no matter if we have it or not and that we must work together to help fix the economic problems that come with it due to less people being able to work.
There needs to be more support from governments and companies to support individuals suffering financially. We need to make others aware how much others are still suffering due to the corona virus. Covid is not over and we mustn’t allow ourselves to fall into the trap of believing it is.