Long Covid can affect anyone; it must be taken seriously – The Yorkshire Post says

IT is important not to trivialise ‘long Covid’ after Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton appeared to blame the condition for his disappointing third place finish in the recent Hungarian Grand Prix.
Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton attributed his recent defeat to long Covid.Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton attributed his recent defeat to long Covid.
Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton attributed his recent defeat to long Covid.

Hamilton still had the physical strength to compete in a gruelling high-speed race. A great many sufferers are less fortunate; even basic tasks, like climbing the stairs, can be beyond them because of fatigue.

And it’s particularly important that people from deprived and ethnic minority backgrounds are encouraged to access the support that is available, given they have been the most exposed to the virus.

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After all, there is now a risk that the economic pressures emanating from the Covid pandemic will lead to some employers being less sympathetic than they should or disregard employment law.

Claire  Strachan,  who suffers from long Covid, at her home in Wetherby.Claire  Strachan,  who suffers from long Covid, at her home in Wetherby.
Claire Strachan, who suffers from long Covid, at her home in Wetherby.

And the consequences will be two-fold – either long Covid sufferers becoming even more ill as a result of trying to work when they should be resting or victims being discriminated against and, potentially, losing their jobs.

Neither outcome is acceptable, hence why work being undertaken b to identify a more precise definition of long Covid, and treatment options, needs to be matched by greater clarity from the Government on the legal rights, such as sick pay, of those who have been laid low. As Ministers prepare for a big push to encourage people to return to offices to coincide with the start of the new school year, they’re also duty-bound to consider the plight of those whose ailments have actually been identified as ‘long Covid’ by the NHS.

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