Where Are the Workers? Millions Are Sick With ‘Long Covid.’

[RedFishBlueFish]

https://www.barrons.com/articles/la...ons-sick-long-covid-51638923422?mod=hp_LEAD_1

Interesting article in Barrons. I suspect a pay wall will prevent most from accessing it. Sorry about that. Here's some snippets.

Barron’s dug further. Here’s another theory about where the workers have gone: Many are suffering from what has come to be known as long Covid, or lingering negative effects of the virus, preventing a bigger-than-appreciated share of working-age people from resuming normal work lives.

It is hard to quantify the number of people out of the workforce because of lingering Covid symptoms, both because of the many economic changes the pandemic has unleashed and because long Covid is still somewhat of a medical mystery. But Parshall and McNulty are representative of a subset of workers who are now on the sidelines involuntarily and indefinitely, which suggests the pandemic’s effect on the labor market may be more complicated than policy makers and investors have assumed. In turn, expectations about companies’ ability to meet customer demand may be muddied further, along with the inflation outlook.

Studies suggest that a sizable number of people suffer from post-Covid symptoms months after recovering from the virus. Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine say more than half of those diagnosed with Covid-19 experience long Covid, while the Lancet medical journal says 57% of hospitalized patients and 26% of non-hospitalized patients show post-Covid symptoms months after infection.

Based on his research and communications with members of his group, Bunker estimates that roughly 20% of Covid cases in the U.S. turn into long Covid, and that at least half of that slice isn’t able to work. Doing some back-of-the-envelope math, that’s 4.6 million people. Some may have fully recovered by now, and not all of them would have been working before symptoms struck; Dr. Schluger says he has seen some patients in their 80s. But even assuming, conservatively, that around half of them had been in the workforce in some capacity, that suggests about two million people could be out of the labor market because of long Covid.

There are some anecdotal stories in the article and some discussion of the effects of long covid and the difficulties in diagnosis and reporting. One bright note, most patients with long covid do recover in a year or two. At least at present it doesn't seem to be life-long in a significant number of people.

 

[Mycroft]

https://www.barrons.com/articles/la...ons-sick-long-covid-51638923422?mod=hp_LEAD_1

Interesting article in Barrons. I suspect a pay wall will prevent most from accessing it. Sorry about that. Here's some snippets.

Barron’s dug further. Here’s another theory about where the workers have gone: Many are suffering from what has come to be known as long Covid, or lingering negative effects of the virus, preventing a bigger-than-appreciated share of working-age people from resuming normal work lives.

It is hard to quantify the number of people out of the workforce because of lingering Covid symptoms, both because of the many economic changes the pandemic has unleashed and because long Covid is still somewhat of a medical mystery. But Parshall and McNulty are representative of a subset of workers who are now on the sidelines involuntarily and indefinitely, which suggests the pandemic’s effect on the labor market may be more complicated than policy makers and investors have assumed. In turn, expectations about companies’ ability to meet customer demand may be muddied further, along with the inflation outlook.

Studies suggest that a sizable number of people suffer from post-Covid symptoms months after recovering from the virus. Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine say more than half of those diagnosed with Covid-19 experience long Covid, while the Lancet medical journal says 57% of hospitalized patients and 26% of non-hospitalized patients show post-Covid symptoms months after infection.

Based on his research and communications with members of his group, Bunker estimates that roughly 20% of Covid cases in the U.S. turn into long Covid, and that at least half of that slice isn’t able to work. Doing some back-of-the-envelope math, that’s 4.6 million people. Some may have fully recovered by now, and not all of them would have been working before symptoms struck; Dr. Schluger says he has seen some patients in their 80s. But even assuming, conservatively, that around half of them had been in the workforce in some capacity, that suggests about two million people could be out of the labor market because of long Covid.

There are some anecdotal stories in the article and some discussion of the effects of long covid and the difficulties in diagnosis and reporting. One bright note, most patients with long covid do recover in a year or two. At least at present it doesn't seem to be life-long in a significant number of people.

Just what we need...another conspiracy "theory".

I'm sure the useful idiots will love this one.

 

[Good4Nothin]

So they're just guessing. And hoping to create ever more fear.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

But even assuming, conservatively, that around half of them had been in the workforce in some capacity, that suggests about two million people could be out of the labor market because of long Covid.

In the last year and a half I've turned down eight grip gigs.
Now, I am not actually a real grip but I have and can do minor grip stuff and not piss off the real guys.
So when a small grip gig comes up, this camera op and film editor takes them.

Not anymore, not since I "recovered" from COVID.
I have about enough stamina to move three or four lights...ONCE.
And that's it, my grip energy is done for the day, and I'm probably sweating and I'm probably out of breath.

Two years ago I was one-arming 120 pound light cases into the grip truck.

 

[beefheart]

Just what we need...another conspiracy "theory".

I'm sure the useful idiots will love this one.

You got anything to back that up?

I know lots of people who are still feeling effects of Covid. I never had the sinus issues that I have now before I got Covid.

Get infected, then tell us about it.

 

[Emily L]

And that's it, my grip energy is done for the day, and I'm probably sweating and I'm probably out of breath.

Checker, I don't know your age/heath and I'm not a doctor (the world is grateful for that ), but please be careful. "Sweating and out of breath" sounds scary to me. I'm just sayin'.

 

[beefheart]

So they're just guessing. And hoping to create ever more fear.

Like you do with your incessant anti-vaxx conspiracy bullshit?

 

[Ginger Ale]

https://www.barrons.com/articles/la...ons-sick-long-covid-51638923422?mod=hp_LEAD_1

Interesting article in Barrons. I suspect a pay wall will prevent most from accessing it. Sorry about that. Here's some snippets.

Barron’s dug further. Here’s another theory about where the workers have gone: Many are suffering from what has come to be known as long Covid, or lingering negative effects of the virus, preventing a bigger-than-appreciated share of working-age people from resuming normal work lives.

It is hard to quantify the number of people out of the workforce because of lingering Covid symptoms, both because of the many economic changes the pandemic has unleashed and because long Covid is still somewhat of a medical mystery. But Parshall and McNulty are representative of a subset of workers who are now on the sidelines involuntarily and indefinitely, which suggests the pandemic’s effect on the labor market may be more complicated than policy makers and investors have assumed. In turn, expectations about companies’ ability to meet customer demand may be muddied further, along with the inflation outlook.

Studies suggest that a sizable number of people suffer from post-Covid symptoms months after recovering from the virus. Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine say more than half of those diagnosed with Covid-19 experience long Covid, while the Lancet medical journal says 57% of hospitalized patients and 26% of non-hospitalized patients show post-Covid symptoms months after infection.

Based on his research and communications with members of his group, Bunker estimates that roughly 20% of Covid cases in the U.S. turn into long Covid, and that at least half of that slice isn’t able to work. Doing some back-of-the-envelope math, that’s 4.6 million people. Some may have fully recovered by now, and not all of them would have been working before symptoms struck; Dr. Schluger says he has seen some patients in their 80s. But even assuming, conservatively, that around half of them had been in the workforce in some capacity, that suggests about two million people could be out of the labor market because of long Covid.

There are some anecdotal stories in the article and some discussion of the effects of long covid and the difficulties in diagnosis and reporting. One bright note, most patients with long covid do recover in a year or two. At least at present it doesn't seem to be life-long in a significant number of people.

I have two employees with long Covid. It sucks. They missed a lot of work and one finally quite because his lungs couldn't take the labor. It's no joke. It's why vaccines are mandatory for my employees now. Funny thing is they're all but one republicans and Trumpers at that. All of them got their vaccines because they saw their buddies get fked from it. They know it's real, and aren't stupid.

 

[RabidAlpaca]

Just what we need...another conspiracy "theory".

I'm sure the useful idiots will love this one.

Long term negative effects of covid are not a conspiracy theory. A conspiracy theory is the shit you peddle like masks don't work, the vaccine is a ploy to control you, and covid has no negative long term effects.

So they're just guessing. And hoping to create ever more fear.

Anti-vaxxers really are some of the dumbest mother ****ers on the planet.

 

[JasperL]

So they're just guessing. And hoping to create ever more fear.

They're not guessing about "long covid." They're trying to put numbers on people affected, and since there's no database that tracks the 50 million diagnosed cases, they have to "guess" about the extent.

I have three close friends suffering from 'long covid' and it's not a 'guess' for them, and I don't know why it should be a surprise that a disease that has killed 800,000, and hospitalized about 3.5 million would have lingering effects months later. Even worse, as far as the data go, none of those I know with lingering problems had serious cases.

 

[phoenix2020]

My brother in law is affected as well. He was sidelined with COVID for over a month. One year later, he still has no sense of taste or smell, and eats little because there are only textures, which leaves him fatigued all the time. He's only been working for 6 months now but has little energy and his strength and balance are not what they once were. I cannot say whether I agree with the article as to this being a potential symptom of workforce shortage but many people I know seem to be aware of at least someone who has struggled for an extended period of time.

 

[Mycroft]

You got anything to back that up?

I know lots of people who are still feeling effects of Covid. I never had the sinus issues that I have now before I got Covid.

Get infected, then tell us about it.

From the article...

It is hard to quantify the number of people out of the workforce because of lingering Covid symptoms

because long Covid is still somewhat of a medical mystery​

...and then they spout numbers that are basically guesses.

So yeah...I call that "conspiracy theory".

 

[RabidAlpaca]

From the article...

It is hard to quantify the number of people out of the workforce because of lingering Covid symptoms

because long Covid is still somewhat of a medical mystery​

...and then they spout numbers that are basically guesses.

So yeah...I call that "conspiracy theory".

It is an undeniable fact that many Americans are suffering long term effects from covid. Because it hasn't really been studied yet it's hard to quantify HOW MANY.

Do you spend your entire ****ing life downplaying the seriousness of this virus? Why?

 

[Chainsawmassacre]

It is an undeniable fact that many Americans are suffering long term effects from covid. Because it hasn't really been studied yet it's hard to quantify HOW MANY.

Do you spend your entire ****ing life downplaying the seriousness of this virus? Why?

More like long term psychological effects of victim mentality. I never missed a days work in forty years and was sometimes sick as a dog with high fever, throwing up and shitting my guts out. This long covid BS is at worst not feeling perfect at best all in your head and government has enabled people to stay home if they even think they might feel less than perfect.

 

[Metric Mouse]

Covidiots can't work... does anyone really care?

 

[Mycroft]

It is an undeniable fact that many Americans are suffering long term effects from covid. Because it hasn't really been studied yet it's hard to quantify HOW MANY.

Do you spend your entire ****ing life downplaying the seriousness of this virus? Why?

I'm downplaying nothing...except the wild "theory" the writer came up with. She bases this theory on things that she, herself, admits we don't know enough about. We don't know how many people are out of the workforce because of lingering covid symptoms and we don't know all that much about long covid anyway. Yet she somehow comes up with a number...2 million.

It's all speculation and guesswork. I call that a conspiracy theory.

 

[Slartibartfast]

I never missed a days work in forty years and was sometimes sick as a dog with high fever, throwing up and shitting my guts out.

Making others sick by spreading whatever you were infected with at the time is not a badge of honor. In fact, its the opposite.

 

[American]

In the last year and a half I've turned down eight grip gigs.
Now, I am not actually a real grip but I have and can do minor grip stuff and not piss off the real guys.
So when a small grip gig comes up, this camera op and film editor takes them.

Not anymore, not since I "recovered" from COVID.
I have about enough stamina to move three or four lights...ONCE.
And that's it, my grip energy is done for the day, and I'm probably sweating and I'm probably out of breath.

Two years ago I was one-arming 120 pound light cases into the grip truck.

View attachment 67364098

I remember our discussion.

 

[OpportunityCost]

In the last year and a half I've turned down eight grip gigs.
Now, I am not actually a real grip but I have and can do minor grip stuff and not piss off the real guys.
So when a small grip gig comes up, this camera op and film editor takes them.

Not anymore, not since I "recovered" from COVID.
I have about enough stamina to move three or four lights...ONCE.
And that's it, my grip energy is done for the day, and I'm probably sweating and I'm probably out of breath.

Two years ago I was one-arming 120 pound light cases into the grip truck.

View attachment 67364098

CSB, I was having similar problems but it wasn't Covid it was vitamin D deficiency. Maybe get some blood work done to check that possibility.

Not downplaying the long Covid but something that may help you. Good luck.

 

[Chainsawmassacre]

Making others sick by spreading whatever you were infected with at the time is not a badge of honor. In fact, its the opposite.

I worked alone.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

Checker, I don't know your age/heath and I'm not a doctor (the world is grateful for that ), but please be careful. "Sweating and out of breath" sounds scary to me. I'm just sayin'.

Hey, this is my new reality. I am an old man now.
This time THREE years ago I was one-arming those heavy light kits out of and back into grip trucks AND shlepping camera gear around in the same day,
AND operating camera on the shoots.



Not anymore, I need a PA to help me shlep that camera gear around, or I won't have the energy to "build" that camera for the shoot and
do the work without needing to sit down and rest.
There's no 6:00 AM call sheets that specify a rest period at 7:00 AM after you've arrived and done some set up, you're going nonstop from
6:00 AM till at least 11:00 or Noon, if not later, emptying the grip truck, building out your kit, setting up lights, helping soundie get his gear together,
pulling cable, adjusting lights, moving props.

If you're very lucky it's a union gig and all you have to do is build out your camera kit for the shoot, but union gigs are hard to come by when
you're almost 65 years old and don't have two or three Academy Awards under your belt - - THOSE guys have unlimited kids who will almost work
for them for free. They DON'T work for free but you get the point...Roger Deakins doesn't have to worry about wearing out his 73 year old ass before Noon.

COVID simply hastened the inevitable for me, because with my declining eyesight and mounting hearing issues, I was pretty much already out to pasture.
I was just sneaking in whatever extra work happened to come my way here and there and settling down to doing small stuff in my own home studio edit bay.
My real full time job is being a caregiver to my disabled Navy veteran wife, but she is still well enough that I could grab a few gigs here and three two or three times a week.

COVID hastened my nearly full retirement as a member of any kind of a crew.
It made me old a bit sooner than I had planned.

And that IS very much part of what's happening with these labor shortages. COVID did DAMAGE, plain and simple...COVID changed people's lives.
The COVID survivors were either injured by their illness and can't do the same jobs anymore, or it changed them mentally, and they are no longer seeing themselves DOING their old jobs anymore, because their outlook on life has changed.

 

[RabidAlpaca]

Hey, this is my new reality. I am an old man now.
This time THREE years ago I was one-arming those heavy light kits out of and back into grip trucks AND shlepping camera gear around in the same day,
AND operating camera on the shoots.

View attachment 67364110

Not anymore, I need a PA to help me shlep that camera gear around, or I won't have the energy to "build" that camera for the shoot and
do the work without needing to sit down and rest.
There's no 6:00 AM call sheets that specify a rest period at 7:00 AM after you've arrived and done some set up, you're going nonstop from
6:00 AM till at least 11:00 or Noon, if not later, emptying the grip truck, building out your kit, setting up lights, helping soundie get his gear together,
pulling cable, adjusting lights, moving props.

If you're very lucky it's a union gig and all you have to do is build out your camera kit for the shoot, but union gigs are hard to come by when
you're almost 65 years old and don't have two or three Academy Awards under your belt - - THOSE guys have unlimited kids who will almost work
for them for free. They DON'T work for free but you get the point...Roger Deakins doesn't have to worry about wearing out his 73 year old ass before Noon.

COVID simply hastened the inevitable for me, because with my declining eyesight and mounting hearing issues, I was pretty much already out to pasture.
I was just sneaking in whatever extra work happened to come my way here and there and settling down to doing small stuff in my own home studio edit bay.
My real full time job is being a caregiver to my disabled Navy veteran wife, but she is still well enough that I could grab a few gigs here and three two or three times a week.

COVID hastened my nearly full retirement as a member of any kind of a crew.
It made me old a bit sooner than I had planned.

And that IS very much part of what's happening with these labor shortages. COVID did DAMAGE, plain and simple...COVID changed people's lives.
The COVID survivors were either injured by their illness and can't do the same jobs anymore, or it changed them mentally, and they are no longer seeing themselves DOING their old jobs anymore, because their outlook on life has changed.

According to Chainsawmassacre's dumbass and uneducated opinion, you're lying and it's all in your head.

More like long term psychological effects of victim mentality. I never missed a days work in forty years and was sometimes sick as a dog with high fever, throwing up and shitting my guts out. This long covid BS is at worst not feeling perfect at best all in your head and government has enabled people to stay home if they even think they might feel less than perfect.

I'm ignoring this idiocy. You're claiming, despite all evidence, that there are no long term negative effects of covid. Run along now.

I'm downplaying nothing...except the wild "theory" the writer came up with. She bases this theory on things that she, herself, admits we don't know enough about. We don't know how many people are out of the workforce because of lingering covid symptoms and we don't know all that much about long covid anyway. Yet she somehow comes up with a number...2 million.

It's all speculation and guesswork. I call that a conspiracy theory.

The author didn't invent the long term effects of covid, reality did. That you try to claim there are no negative long term effects of covid show how desperate you are to downplay the seriousness of this virus like you did nearly all of the last 2 years.

It's been proven that these long term effects exist. If you'd like to disprove it, go ahead, we're listening.

 

[CaughtInThe]

I'm ignoring this idiocy. You're claiming, despite all evidence, that there are no long term negative effects of covid

Smart move.

 

[CaughtInThe]

Isn't the real question how much sympathy people are going to get if they were hardheaded and didn't get vaccinated but still have long term side effects from COVID?

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

CSB, I was having similar problems but it wasn't Covid it was vitamin D deficiency. Maybe get some blood work done to check that possibility.

Not downplaying the long Covid but something that may help you. Good luck.

I am taking enough D to choke a pack mule, but you're right, it does make a huge difference.
If I am low on Vitamin D I can barely get out of bed, my man. I can FEEL it and I can FEEL the difference when I slap myself upside the head and go back and take my pills.
A few hours later I have energy again.
But I am still a COVID longhaul zombie at the end of the day, I am still not the guy I used to be before the pandemic.
COVID basically hack-sawed off a part of me and won't give it back.