The new Corona could bring the future to millions of survivors with sequelae



Vaccines such as Pfizer's 'BNT162b2 ' and Moderna's ' mRNA-1273 ' have appeared for the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) that swept the world in 2020, and the distribution of vaccines is rapid mainly in developed countries. Proceed to. Under these circumstances, Claire Pomeroy, chairman of the Lasker Foundation, also known as an infectious disease expert, warned that 'the new corona could lead to a future in which millions of survivors will have sequelae.' ..

A Tsunami of Disability Is Coming as a Result of'Long COVID' --Scientific American
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-tsunami-of-disability-is-coming-as-a-result-of-lsquo-long-covid-rsquo/

In the United States, which was the first to implement a large-scale vaccination and the number of people who completed vaccination exceeded 150 million as of mid-July 2021, the cumulative number of infected people is only 34 million. It is a country with the largest number of infected people in the world. Regarding the situation where about 10% of the people are infected with COVID-19, President Pomeroy is trying to emphasize again the 'risk of the aftereffects of COVID-19'.

According to a study by the University of California, Davis, about a quarter of people infected with COVID-19 suffer from sequelae that last for more than a few months. Furthermore, in the case of COVID-19 'inpatients,' 76% reported that 'sequelae remained for more than 6 months,' according to a survey result.

76% of new corona inpatients report that 'symptoms remain 6 months after infection' --GIGAZINE



According to Pomeroy, COVID-19 could increase the number of people with permanent disabilities by millions in the United States. If more people have a permanent disability, in addition to the personal distress of these people, the unemployment rate may increase, medical expenses and work-related accidents, and the financial burden of disability support programs may increase. However, even in these circumstances, policymakers and planners argue that the effects of sequelae are downplayed.

Regarding the current disability benefit program in the United States, Pomeroy said, 'In the case of a worker being infected, it is almost impossible to identify whether it was infected at work or in a public place. He pointed out that there is a problem that it is not possible to enter the infection route that is required when applying for the system. 'It seems inadequate to accommodate the new trend of patients with chronic disabilities,' he said, saying that the bureaucratic aspects of the current system should be adapted to this pandemic. I appealed.



Against this background, Chairman Pomeroy also makes recommendations on 'specifically necessary measures.' The contents are as follows.

・ Research to deepen understanding of disorders caused by COVID-19
The National Institutes of Health has launched an initiative to investigate the effects of the aftereffects of COVID-19 with a large funding of $ 1.15 billion over four years from the government. Health economics research should be prioritized to determine the economic impact of virus-related disorders.

・ Construction of clinical services to manage the sequelae of COVID-19
Sufficient staff and funding should be invested in the already opened clinic specializing in the aftereffects of COVID-19, Pomeroy said. In this regard, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Medical Association have jointly published treatment guidelines, which will continue to accelerate research by coordinating national and global data collection.

・ Review of workers' accident compensation insurance and private disability insurance
A national consensus on eligibility is important, and it is believed that insurance plan managers should leverage health economics research to prepare for future costs.

· Review of federal disability benefit program
A top priority for the Social Security Administration is to figure out the total number of people with short-term and long-term COVID-19 sequelae. The next lower priority is to model the funding needed to support those with these sequelae and to revisit the conditions needed to receive it.

'It's time to actively plan for the enormous impact of sequelae on our disability benefit program,' said Pomeroy, who said that not all mysteries about the sequelae of COVID-19 have been unraveled. '.

in Note, Posted by darkhorse_log