Quiet Time Contemplation....

[Mitz]

Sorry for the non-vape post in a vape-related part of the forum. It's always been a bad habit of mine to never read anything below the main descriptions or smaller print in general! my apologies.

No problem at all mate, and no apology needed.

 

[Tazz]

Totally random I know, but I find myself thinking how things are now that COVID has seemingly been downgraded to a generally manageable condition. What, if any, seems to be the long lasting legacy of the condition? I contracted it twice at it's height, both times with relatively mild symptoms so came out the end relatively unscathed but what I have noticed, and it could be completely unconnected, is a lot of people in my immediate circle of friends and acquaintances who have been struck down with other medical conditions, with the dreaded "C" word being the one that is most prevalent. Maybe a lot of the people were missed early doors due to the access to medical care for other conditions being put on the back burner. But with this being the case I can't remember a time pre-Covid when so many people were even picked up early and at not such an advanced stage. I'm not much into conspiracy theories so I don't think blame can be laid at the vaccines door, but does anyone else think that the virus itself had any influence on people being more susceptible to being struck down with future ailments?
Not a particularly cheerful subject to be dwelling on I know, but I just wondered if anyone else has noticed a rise in the number of people being struck down with ill health? Or is just that I've been unlucky.

Yep, C and heart problems. I listened to something just recently about this issue and they are surprised how advanced many are. One specialist mentioned that patients of theirs at their clinic were presenting with advanced stages, like they'd had it for a few yrs, but a yr earlier they had nothing wrong.

 

[andipandi]

The UK government dont give a shit about long covid or anything covid related, they don't even give a fuck about those who were tasked with saving us:
..........

This comes a year after the government’s own scientific advisory board on industrial injuries published evidence showing there’s a significantly increased risk of COVID-19, subsequent illness and death for health and social care workers.

The board recommended that five specific conditions, resulting from complications of COVID-19, should be prescribed as an occupational disease for those who work in health and social care.

It’s crucial the government acts on these recommendations because classifying long COVID as an occupational disease for health and social care workers could mean those with long-term physical conditions caused by COVID-19 are able to receive much-needed Industrial Injuries Disability Benefit. This would apply to those who work, or previously worked, in both the NHS and independent sector.

In the letter, sent jointly by the RCN and British Medical Association (BMA), we point to evidence about the availability and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) from an RCN member survey conducted during the pandemic. The survey showed that more than a third of respondents felt under pressure to care for patients with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 without adequate protection. The situation was significantly worse for Black and minority ethnic staff, where more than half felt pressure to work without the correct PPE, for example FFP2/3 respirators.

Now the RCN insists the UK government must act quickly to provide support to health care staff and their families who’ve suffered significant financial losses as a result of contracting COVID-19 at work and then developed long COVID. Due to the ending of COVID-19 special leave provisions and lack of financial support, many suffering the impact of long COVID are now facing unemployment.

RCN Chief Nurse Professor Nicola Ranger said: “Nursing staff tell us their lives have been forever changed by long COVID. Its physical impact coupled with long-term financial insecurity is causing them continued worry.

“They have been doubly let down by this government – which first failed to provide adequate protection against a deadly virus and subsequently left thousands unsupported whilst facing the often-debilitating consequences of long COVID.”

More than 50 countries worldwide already provide formal legal recognition for key workers who contracted COVID-19 as a result of workplace exposure and offer corresponding compensation and support schemes.

https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-eve...-rcn-demands-action-from-uk-government-171123

 

[andipandi]

Executive summary

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact heavily on all our lives and one of the long-lasting, but unanticipated, impacts is the emergence of Long Covid. Whilst many people infected by Covid-19 may fully recover, significant numbers will experience varied, ongoing and debilitating symptoms that last weeks, months or years following the initial infection. This prolonged condition has been given the umbrella term Long Covid. Recognition of Long Covid was accelerated by people-led advocacy groups such Long Covid Support.3 Their Employment Group (LCSEG)4 advocates for better support to stay in, return to or leave work well.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) reported that, as of 1 August 2021, 970,000 people in the UK were experiencing self-reported Long Covid.5 The most recent data from 2 January 2023, shows that this has increased to 2 million people6 – this figure is bigger than the population of the cities of Birmingham and Manchester combined. Early research into reinfections 7 shows the risk of Long Covid is still present in subsequent infections, even if not experienced the first time.

This report summarises the findings of a self-selecting survey of 3,097 people with Long Covid in September and October 2022 on their experiences of work.


Overall, 60 per cent of respondents said they had been experiencing symptoms for over a year. Six in 10 respondents (63 per cent) told us that their ability to carry out normal day to day activities had been limited substantially and a further third (33 per cent) reported that their ability to carry out day to day activities had been limited to some extent.

However, there has been no targeted government action for people with Long Covid to be able to access and stay in work should they want to.

We have also witnessed some confusion on what legal protections people with Long Covid are entitled to and what employer’s duties are towards them, including whether people with Long Covid are protected under the Equality Act 2010.

People are deemed disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a 'substantial' and 'long-term' negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.

Whether someone meets the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability 10 would be based on the experiences of that individual. However, our findings indicate that many who responded to our survey would meet it, entitling them to protections and the right to reasonable adjustments. First and foremost, employers should support people in the workplace as it’s the right thing to do, but our results also raise concerns that, by not doing this, many employers could be acting unlawfully.

Both the 2021 and 2023 reports demonstrate clearly that too many people have been and continue to be failed by their employers, in increasing numbers. Many are key workers who kept the country running and yet have been faced with disbelief, negative treatment and a lack of support from employers and government. This report is vital to draw attention to people who have fallen out of work, are underemployed, struggling to remain in or return to work because of the virus.

If we do not take urgent action to ensure that people with Long Covid are properly protected and supported we run the real risk of new, long-lasting inequalities being created with damaging impacts on people’s lives, our economy and our public services, where many of these people are employed.

https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/workers-experience-long-covid

https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-03/Long Covid at Work report - FINAL COLOUR 2.pdf