To wonder why covid is so rarely mentioned as a factor in increased disability figures?

[Grapeexpectation]

It seems so odd. Why aren’t covid infections and their aftermath on health ever mentioned as factors in increased absence from school, long term sickness, people having to stop work etc? We already know that millions have long covid, reinfections double the risk and that each wave is going to increase the numbers, so why is it so rarely mentioned? It makes so little logical sense to compare figures to pre-pandemic, without mentioning the health impacts of the virus involved, yet it happens frequently. What’s the rationale for not mentioning it as a factor?

Covid didn’t just happen in this country. But somehow, it’s only the people in this country now suddenly not work due to Covid. It’s all wearing thin now.

Because mentioning that would mean the consocialists have to admit that they stole billions from the public through corruption. And Labour and Two Tier would have to admit that they were calling for harder lockdowns and more spending.

Covid can exacerbate existing issues, trigger new ones and completely disable someone previously fit and healthy - all these things can be true (and they are) - it’s not an either/or. Closing the long covid clinics hides the problem more. I don’t think the government is that bothered by the numbers of people in poor health - if they could crawl to work and be incapable of anything else, that would be ok. I’m not saying that to be hyperbolic, but accept it sounds it. I don’t think they are that bothered by school attendance either - over 100,000 kids in England had long covid a couple of years ago, so who knows what it is after the waves that have followed?

Covid was world wide but only in this country has it left so many people unable to work.
a cynical person might say it’s due to the benefit system

I have seen the suggestion from several sources that the furlough programme and similar during the lockdowns was a first exposure to the benefits system for many people - after which they realise "hey this wasn't so bad, my neighbours didn't even find out, I was not heaped with scorn like I expected I would be", and became more likely to look at other benefits they might be eligible for.

I have also seen many suggestions that the social pressures engendered by lockdowns had a very negative effect on mental health.

Probably not what OP meant though...

Agree. Although some blame the NHS for not dealing with those who are unable to work whereas other countries have functioning healthcare systems.

China:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(24)00217-7/fulltext
Africa:
https://www.natureasia.com/en/nmiddleeast/article/10.1038/nmiddleeast.2024.25
Usa:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12143562/?

@Sundayme9.9 million working age adults claim benefits.
1in 4 of these are new claims since covid.
this is not a covid problem but a free money problem

Pakistan: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38151820/
Australia :https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australians-lost-an-estimated-5-5-million-years-of-healthy-life-in-2022-medical-experts/r60hrvpi2
Africa again: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37674565/

@OneAmberFinchno, I was talking specifically about impact of covid infections. As said since, there are other factors such as the impacts of lockdown, but lockdown is actually mentioned alot.

Can you show me any data that backs this up?
Long covid is the leading paediatric chronic illness in America for example.

I don’t think covid is the only factor, but I do think excluding it as a factor - especially in comparisons between now and pre-pandemic health - is extremely odd.

This!

Nothing cynical about it. Slash benefits and watch the mass return to work of people who suddenly have everything wrong with them because someone else can pay for them to live.

Not the point of th me thread but could you not get ill health retirement?

OK, whilst I personally find this a ridiculous, ignorant, goady post which I know I should have ignored, I’ll briefly bite. How does this address those that either a) are already working or b) aren’t working / have had to stop work because they are now too ill (even though they don’t claim benefits)?

I'm going to say something controversial herr but - covid, all a bit hyped up wasn't it? Hardly the plague was it and the vast majority of people I seen getting it were ill to start with

The numbers were increasing fast before Covid

Aside from the physical damage of long covid etc, I have said since COVID happened that this was going to cause a mass fuck up the country’s mental health.

The parallels between what I experienced in a very abusive relationship, and what the population was subjected to during Covid was uncanny.

Isolating from friends and family, making people live in fear of their lives, making people follow arbitrary rules, gaslighting (some may disagree on this but the vast majority of us weren’t in any real danger), making people believe that the government were the ones who could keep them safe, financially controlling us etc etc etc. I was already living with PTSD because of having gone through this prior to Covid. It’s not the sort of thing that doesn’t affect mental health on a very deep level, so the fact there’s now a mental health crisis isn’t at all surprising. Can you imagine as a child or young person being led to believe that your parents and loved ones could drop dead at any moment? Or even as an adult, for a lot of people.

I thought the same as you OP when I heard the figures on the radio today, disability and sickness has massively increased since Covid. Perhaps someone needs to join the dots there.

how do you know millions of people have long Covid? would be interested to see the source of this

This was from last year.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/25/about-2m-people-long-covid-england-scotland-ons-figures

I think it’s 60m worldwide?

Because we have to pretend "it's just a cold" - for all the people who, ironically, when you push them as to why, aren't as brave and blase as they like to feign but rather use that belief as a coping mechanism.

Lucky you then.

I know people who died - who hadn't been ill.

As others have pointed out, COVID was global and yet the increase in sickness and disability benefits in the UK post COVID is unmatched by any other country.

Long Covid is a condition that is now being said to be similar to how concussion affects the body and brain.

I had a concussion and post concussion syndrome a decade ago, and it was devastating, and gave me a terrible breakdown. I've never totally recovered from it, and have had several other concussions since. The inflammatory response in the body in both Long Covid symptoms and concussion are similar, hence why scientists are very much investigating how to treat Long Covid patients the way they treat head injury ones.

A head injury changed my life forever. I can absolutely see how Long Covid would too. It is not made up or exaggerated.

Ill try to find a source for my reply above.