Pandemic Denial Destroys Lives
Long Covid's Emotional, Social, financial Impact
Medical Abuse can take place for years.
Profiled as "crazy"
Belittled
Symptoms not taken seriously
Symptoms blamed on anxiety
Accused of being neurotic
Accused of hysteria
Medical neglect
Marginalization
Discrimination
Social Abandonment & Isolation Often accompany chronic medical Illnesses.
Friends drift away as the disabled is unable to keep up.
Friends can't relate to how the illness has impacted the other's life.
Family distances.
Even primary family relationships can drift away.
Sometimes family doesn't comprehend the extent of incapacitation.
Family and friends might cast judgements and aspersions on the disabled person.
The disabled is no longer able to participate in many life activities that offer opportunities to be with others, socialize and be part of life outside their home and often their bed.
Long Covid can result in severe Financial Distress.
You can't work anymore.
Short term disability runs out.
You apply for long term SSDI disability.
You have to reapply months later, then again, knowing this process can take several years.
You live off of savings if you have any.
You sell belongings for extra money.
Two income family becomes one income family or previously non-working partner finds a job.
Single person or parent has no back up income.
Some families never offer help.
Some families offer help with unhealthy contingencies.
Some families can help.
You're in credit card debt.
If fortunate, you (and family) move in with relatives.
You rent your home out.
If lucky, two years later, you're approved for SSDI disability payments.
Since you have previously worked, you qualified for SSDI benefits that maxi out at 3,627$ a month which is about half your previous salary.
As things stand, most qualifying people with Long COVID will not receive disability benefits thus will suffer from abject poverty as well as severe physical disabilities.
Long Covid's Impact on Society
Long COVID Could Cost the Economy Trillions, Experts Predict:
"Long COVID is likely to cost the U.S. economy trillions of dollars and will almost certainly affect multiple industries, from restaurants struggling to replace low-wage workers, to airlines scrambling to replace crew, to overwhelmed hospitals, experts are predicting.
Data from June 2022 from the CDC shows that of the 40% of American adults who contracted COVID-19, nearly 1 in 5 still have long COVID symptoms. That works out to 1 in 13, or 7.5%, of the overall U.S. adult population.
Drawing from the CDC data, Bach estimates in her August 2022 report that as many 4 million working-age Americans are too sick with long COVID to perform their jobs. That works out to as much as $230 billion in lost wages, or almost 1 percent of the U.S. GDP."
This number can only rise since infection rates are still climbing as this pandemic rages on:
"'Long COVID has affected as many as 23 million Americans. It may cost the U.S. economy $3.7 trillion, roughly that of the Great Recession, according to one estimate.'
But the tentacles of Long COVID reach far beyond its medical impact: from the labor gap to disability benefits, life insurance, household debt, forfeit retirement savings and financial ruin.
All told, Long COVID is a $3.7 trillion drag on the U.S. economy — about 17% of our nation’s pre-pandemic economic output, said David Cutler, an economist at Harvard University. The aggregate cost rivals that of the Great Recession, Cutler wrote in a July report.
Higher medical spending accounts for $528 billion of the total. But lost earnings and reduced quality of life are other sinister trickle-down effects, which respectively cost Americans $997 billion and $2.2 trillion."
1.1+ Million Dead & Counting
23 Million Long COVID Cases & Counting
