Its official name is “post-acute COVID-19”, but it’s more popularly known as “long COVID”. The term identifies COVID-19 that continues to affect patients three weeks or more after infection. As reported by the CBC, the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table indicates that long COVID affects about 10% of COVID-19 patients and can last from weeks to many months. This data means that over 58,000 Ontarians and over 150,000 Canadians may suffer from long COVID.
Like COVID itself, long COVID symptoms may be mild or debilitating. And patients may suffer long COVID symptoms even if their original COVID symptoms were mild or undiagnosed.
Symptoms of Long COVID
According to Fahad Razak of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, “there is under-recognition both for the public but also among clinicians of this condition because it is hard to define and quantify and because we don’t have a lot of information around it.”
The following are the most common symptoms among a list of more than 200 known symptoms of long COVID:
- extreme fatigue
- shortness of breath
- heart palpitations
- chest pain and/or tightness
- problems with memory and concentration
- changes in taste and smell
- joint pain
- general pain or discomfort
- anxiety
- depression
Razak said that long-COVID symptoms may make it difficult for sufferers to perform daily tasks and may need increased medical attention.
“The burden will not only be on the health system, but it will also be on other parts of society because a lot of the disabilities are not just about medical care, but it’s also about the fact that individuals can’t go back to work, it’s that they need a supportive home, it’s difficulty with work and family life,” he added.
Long-Term Disability Benefits & Long COVID
With the lack of awareness and research about long COVID, it may be difficult for sufferers to identify the symptoms. Evidence of this is found in a report by the British Medical Association that states “management of COVID-19 after the first three weeks is currently based on limited evidence … many patients recover spontaneously (if slowly)”.
If you have been absent from work for an extended period of time, but medical professionals were not able to identify the condition, or they have misdiagnosed your condition due to the lack of information available about long COVID, your insurance provider may deny your long-term disability benefits.
If so, you do not need to accept the insurance company’s decision. To protect your rights and get the LTD benefits you deserve, you need an LTD lawyer on your side who understands that your symptoms may be a sign of long COVID.
To learn more about getting your full LTD benefits entitlement, please contact MA LTD Lawyers.
