None of them was in intensive care, but they did get sick. A relatively young group of people between the ages of 20 and 50 who suffer from long-term corona complaints have reported to C-support, a support center that has existed since October.
It concerns 1700 people, and that is the tip of the iceberg. The group is much larger, because people with low literacy, immigrants and people who are not so skilled digitally have hardly registered.
Lost job
Research among the group shows that their illness is not taken seriously. And that can have serious financial consequences. Especially self-employed people who can no longer work are affected. And there are also sick employees with a temporary contract that is not renewed.
C-support and the professional association for occupational physicians (NVAB) tell RTL Nieuws that this long-term clinical picture must be recognized as soon as possible, so that this group can be helped. In this way they can claim certain schemes, benefits or disability insurance.
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‘Boss thought I was shy’
Krista is in her late 20s, was sporty and always worked full-time. Eleven months ago she became quite ill. She wants to anonymously tell her story to RTL News. “My whole family got sick. I worked in healthcare and during that period there was no way to get tested.” Hard evidence that she had corona was therefore lacking.
She became very tired, even walking was hardly possible. Nor could she concentrate. At the start of the corona crisis, it was very much looked at whether you had been in a risk area. “I had not been abroad, so it could not be a corona, they thought at the time. Nobody believed me, not my doctor, nor the health and safety doctor.”
Her employer also did not understand that someone would be so sick for so long. “My supervisor thought I was shy and wanted me to come. I didn’t know what was happening to me either. I was always sporty and used to work full-time.”
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Krista hated that her employer handled it that way. “I asked for a meeting with my supervisor and asked for another health and safety doctor. That was not possible. Then I was so angry and disappointed that I offered to resign. Only then did my boss join in. Another health and safety doctor came after all. , who saw that I was not fit enough to work. “
Krista’s annual contract will soon expire. That will not be extended. She would like her illness to be recognized, as has happened in the past with Q fever patients. “Otherwise you will be on welfare. If my illness and that of thousands of others is recognized, you will avoid a lot of hassle because you would have to prove that you have had corona.”
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According to Annemieke de Groot, director of C-support, an estimated 10 percent of corona patients will have complaints for a long time. “It concerns, for example, severe fatigue, fears, shortness of breath, loss of condition and concentration, nerve pains, loss of smell and smell.”
De Groot was shocked by the size of the problem group from the first wave. There was no medication to help patients get better faster. “They mostly suffered in silence at home.”
No proof, no benefits
These are people between the ages of 20 and 60, who are in the middle of their working life. Three quarters are women. De Groot: “What is striking is that 56 percent have never been tested in that first wave. The fact that there is no evidence is stressful, because you have to be able to prove that you have had corona for benefits or disability insurance.”
De Groot also compares the situation with the Q fever outbreak in 2007. People became ill for a long time, the harmful consequences are comparable. Patients had to wait six years for that recognition and help.
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The NVAB, the Dutch Association for Occupational and Occupational Medicine, supports the plea for recognition of the disease. Chairman Gertjan Beens points out that the cause of the complaints can sometimes not be proven. “But there is a very recognizable and consistent picture in terms of complaints.”
A frequently heard long-term complaint: concentration problems. “You can see whether an employee can take up another position. But concentration is something you need in almost all positions. That makes reintegration or going to work in a different position difficult.”
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Of course there are employers who understand the situation, says De Groot of C-support. “But patients also set the bar very high themselves. Often they were never ill and they led an active life. That does not rhyme with hardly being able to do anything. So in addition to the role of the employer, the patient should not be too hard on themselves. “
With this research, C-support wants to send ‘a strong signal’ to the Ministry of Health, in the hope that recognition will come soon. A report on this will be presented to the House of Representatives on Monday.
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