Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

With regard to the prevalence of long Covid, based on my analysis of the social welfare payments for Covid-related illnesses lasting 12 weeks or more following the initial infection, 21,000 people are unable to go to work due to long Covid. This figure does not take into account the tens of thousands who are suffering with less severe forms of long Covid who are going to work but not contributing to the same extent that they did prior to the illness, nor does it take into account the thousands of people who recovered from the initial infection but had a subsequent relapse. Not only is this having a significant impact on our labour force but, as an Australian long Covid study put it, even low rates of Covid-related permanent illness or disability could still lead to significant future burden of disease. We need to act now in a comprehensive way.

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