Nine in 10 Covid sufferers have ongoing symptoms

To continue reading please register or login to your OHW+ account.

Nine in 10 workers who have had Covid-19 have been left with ongoing symptoms – many of whom say these have lasted longer than a year. According to the TUC, which carried out a survey of more than 3,500 workers as part of its report into the impact Covid-19 has on daily working life, many workers suffering the long-term effects of the virus have experienced some form of disadvantage or discrimination due to their condition. This has prompted the union body to reiterate a call for long Covid to be classified as a disability and for Covid-19 to be recognised as an occupational disease. This would give workers access to legal protections and compensation. Its survey found that 95% believed they had long Covid and 29% had experienced symptoms that have lasted longer than a year. Brain fog (72%), shortness of breath (70%), difficulty concentrating (62%) and memory problems (54%) were the most common symptoms reported. The majority (79%) of the 3,557 people who responded were key workers and mainly worked in education or health and social care. Workplace discrimination or disadvantage because of their health condition was reported by 52% of respondents. Examples of this included the impact of their symptoms being questioned by their employer (19%)