The Economic Ills Of Long Covid --- Lingering symptoms for millions could place a prolonged drag on the economy and pose problems for businesses

 

"Long Covid could cast a long shadow over the economy.

Shortly after the pandemic struck in 2020, an unsettling problem among people who had contracted Covid-19 became apparent: Months later, some were still suffering from symptoms such as shortness of breath, confusion and fatigue, sometimes to a debilitating extent.

Two years later there is still much that scientists and health professionals don't know about what has come to be called long Covid, but they do know that it is a real problem -- one that could place fresh burdens on the U.S. economy. Treating people with long Covid comes with a cost that will fall to some extent on patients and their families and to some extent on society.

The World Health Organization has said long Covid is a condition in people who had Covid-19 three months previously, with symptoms such as severe fatigue and cognitive issues that last at least two months. Regardless of how one defines it, the numbers are daunting: Researchers who analyzed the records of Veterans Health Administration patients reckon that 4% to 7% of patients who have been infected with Covid-19 developed long Covid. That is actually on the low side of most recent estimates but, considering that the bulk of the U.S. population appears to have been infected, still translates into millions of sufferers.

 

The researchers found that, beyond the risk of experiencing symptoms such as difficulty thinking [1], people who have had Covid are at increased risk of serious conditions such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

 

That is an especially worrisome development, says Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at the VA St. Louis Health Care System and a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, who led the research. Long Covid symptoms such as persistent cough can fade, but chronic diseases won't.

Dr. Al-Aly and his co-researchers estimate that people who have had Covid have a 40% higher chance of developing diabetes than if they hadn't been infected. Recent research finds that the lifetime direct medical cost for treating diabetes and diabetes complications in men aged 45 to 54 with Type 2 diabetes is $106,200. If the ranks of people with Type 2 diabetes swell, the U.S. could be burdened with multiple billions of dollars in additional healthcare costs.

Expecting the medical establishment to follow up on its record-fast development of vaccines with a treatment for long Covid might be wishful thinking. Post-viral disorders have multiple symptoms and often no clear-cut measure of success for treatment.

Beyond healthcare costs, people with long Covid might in some cases be unable to work and require additional support or they might choose to retire early. The good news for now is that, since the start of the pandemic, applications to the Social Security Administration's disability program have actually slipped. To some degree, this might be driven by the additional flexibility that many workers now have -- for example the ability to take a nap at home.

Colorado School of Public Health economist Lauren Nicholas cautions that some long Covid sufferers hoping their condition improves might not yet see themselves as candidates for the curtailment of work required for disability program applications. Claims and insurance losses can jump when unemployment does -- such as following the 2008-09 financial crisis -- so public and private insurance could see a rise in claims in the event of an economic downturn.

The bulk of direct Covid-19 deaths are likely behind us due to vaccines and treatments, but some large private life and disability insurers are concerned about rising loss ratios in group disability insurance, which people typically get through work. Whether long Covid is directly playing a role yet isn't clear. There is also a worry that other pandemic effects, such as people having put off preventive care, might lead to a longer-term rise in risk.

Moreover, despite the job market's strength, many long Covid sufferers are struggling to make ends meet. June survey figures released by the Census Bureau show that 61% of adults who said they experienced Covid symptoms that lasted over three months (some of whom no longer had symptoms) were meeting needs with the regular income sources they used before the pandemic, which compares with 67% for the remainder of the population. Among those who had experienced long Covid symptoms, 30% said they were dipping into savings or selling assets and possessions to meet needs versus 23% among other adults.

To the extent that long Covid sufferers are unable to return to work, or to work as many hours, that will represent a loss for the economy. One reason the unemployment rate is so low is that a smaller share of the population is working or looking for work than before the pandemic. Some share of the people no longer in the workforce are probably long Covid sufferers. Absent those workers, the economy might not be able to grow as quickly as it otherwise might, leaving the country worse off.

Researchers still know too little about long Covid to quantify what sort of burden it might place on the country, but the available evidence suggests the costs could be significant enough to take very seriously." [2]

 

China, if it can quarantining the increasingly contagious variants of the coronavirus that are coming to them from the relaxed free West, will not have a long Covid problem and the losses associated with it. Another case where freedom comes at a high price.

 

 

1. It is worth noting that in this text, difficulty in thinking is not a serious illness. This is the most important problem of our time - those who feed on propaganda and don't intend to think survive the easiest.

 

2. EXCHANGE --- Heard on the Street: The Economic Ills Of Long Covid --- Lingering symptoms for millions could place a prolonged drag on the economy and pose problems for businesses
Lahart, Justin. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 09 July 2022: B.12.

Išgyvenimo vadovas, kaip elgtis su tikrai blogu viršininku

"Jie stovi jums už nugaros arba kas 10 minučių siunčia jums Slack, kad paklaustų apie pranešimą, kuris turi būti pateiktas tik kitą savaitę. Jie yra rėkėjai, chuliganai, pasyvių ir agresyvių dūrių ekspertai, paprastai visų akivaizdoje. O gal jie jus tiesiog apgavo, palikdami jums patiems sugalvoti naująjį darbo atlikimo būdą.

 

    Kol buvo darbo, buvo žmonių, kurie sukelia nereikalingų problemų tiems, kurie yra po jais. Ir pastaruoju metu darbo pakeitimo banga sukėlė tam tikrą apgailestavimą dėl darbo. Siekdamos talentų, daugelis kompanijų greitai skatino naujus, kartais nepasitvirtinusius vadovus ir tuo pat metu paspartino įdarbinimo procesus, kad atrastų perspektyvų anksčiau, nei konkurentai - darbdaviai, sako Cate Luzio, profesinio tobulėjimo organizacijos „Luminary“ įkūrėja ir generalinė direktorė.

 

    Ji sako, kad pasakyti „taip“ darbui buvo lengva daugeliui įdarbintų, kol jie buvo viliojami kėlimais ir paaukštinimais. Sunkiau sužinojus, kaip iš tikrųjų būtų dirbti tam nepažįstamam žmogui iš „Zoom“ interviu. Beveik trys ketvirtadaliai suaugusiųjų, šiemet apklaustų darbo paieškos ir karjeros koučingo bendrovės „Muse“, teigė, kad, pradėję naują darbą, jaučiasi nustebę arba apgailestauja.

 

    Ponia Luzio pastaruoju metu matė, kaip darbuotojai atvyksta į naujus postus, kad suprastų, kad iš tikrųjų turi tris viršininkus arba vadovai atšaukia pažadus dirbti nuotoliniu būdu. Tuo tarpu bosas tebėra vartų sargas nuo pasirinktų projektų ir premijų iki visapusiškos laimės.

 

    Gali pagerėti. Štai kaip išgyventi, pasikeisti, palikti ar nuversti savo konkretų blogo viršininko tipą, pasak tų, kurie tai padarė.

 

    Mikrovaldytojas

 

    Valdantieji viršininkai negali pakęsti nežinojimo, kaip pasisuks projektas, ir gali jausti, kad niekam kitam taip nerūpi, kaip jiems, sako socialinė psichologė ir mokymo įmonės „MindGym“ vadovė Janet Ahn. Šio tipo viršininkui reikia užtikrinti, kad darbas bus atliktas gerai.

 

    Pasakykite jiems, kad dalijatės jų skubos jausmu ir tiksliai suprantate, ką reikia padaryti, kad užduotis būtų sėkminga – iki pasirinkto šrifto.

 

    Subtiliai bendraujate: „Tai daroma, jūs neprivalote manęs prižiūrėti, bet aš jus girdžiu“, – sako dr. Ahn.

 

    Tada užtvindykite juos informacija, kol jie jos net neprašo. Mary Abbajay, profesinio tobulėjimo įmonės „Careerstone Group LLC“ prezidentė ir viena iš įkūrėjų, rekomenduoja dažnai dalytis būsenos naujiniais – net kasdieniais prioritetų sąrašais, į kuriuos susitelkiate.

 

    „Tapk jų sąjungininke“, – sako ji. „Viskas, ko jiems reikia, yra informacija ir kontrolė, todėl tiesiog suteikite jiems tai.

 

    Šiuo metu tai jausis siaubingai, sako ji. Tačiau, kai sukursite pasitikėjimą, jie atlaisvins savo gniaužtus.

 

    „Turite rasti jų skausmo tašką ir jį išgydyti“, – apie blogus viršininkus sako ji.

 

    Išsiregistravęs bosas

 

    Galbūt jie užsiėmę, perdegę arba tiesiog labai pasitikintys. Bet kokiu atveju nėra puiku turėti vadovą, kuris nepaiso jūsų klausimų arba dingsta, kai užduotis nepavyksta.

 

    Šiam viršininkui reikia, kad tu imtum vadovauti. Būkite atkakli, sako ponia Abbajay. Užsisakykite susitikimų seriją jų kalendoriuje, daugiau nei manote, kad jums reikia, nes jie gali atšaukti pusę, perspėja ji. Kvietime išdėstykite savo dienotvarkę ir vykdykite. Pageidautina per 15 minučių ar mažiau.

 

    „Būkite aiškinantys glaustai, aiškiai“, – sako ji. – Ir dinkite.

 

    Stenkitės pirmiausia bendrauti per jų mėgstamą laikmeną, nesvarbu, ar tai el. paštas, žinutė ar asmeniškai. Jei tai pastarasis, sudarykite einamąjį visų daiktų, kuriuose jums reikia jų įvesties, sąrašą ir nešiokitės, kai su jais susidursite biure.

 

    Uždenkite ir save. Jei jų trūko, kol baigiate didelį projektą, atsiųskite puikų el. laišką, nurodydami, kad projektas turi būti rytoj 17 val. o jūs pridedate juodraštį, sako ponia Abbajay. Atkreipkite dėmesį, kad jei jie turi klausimų, jie turėtų jums pranešti iki 16 val.

 

    Ir išsišakoti. Kai socialinei psichologei daktarei Ahn buvo paskirti patarėjai, kurie jos studijų metais buvo nuošalūs ir abejingi, ji surengė kavos pasimatymus su kitais profesoriais ir tyrinėtojais, kuriais žavėjosi.

 

    „JTai jaučiasi šiek tiek pažeidžiamai“, – pripažįsta ji. Tačiau, užmegzdami daugiau ryšių, padėsite užtikrinti, kad jūsų karjera judės į priekį, net jei jūsų viršininkas jūsų negina.

 

    Toksiškas viesulas

 

    Ar turėtumėte nušalinti savo baisųjį viršininką? Verta pabandyti, sako Robertas Suttonas, Stanfordo universiteto profesorius, parašęs knygų apie darbą durniams.

 

    „Darbuotojai kartais pamiršta, kad įmonės nenori blogų viršininkų“, – sako daktaras Suttonas.

 

    Pradėkite, dokumentuodami netinkamą elgesį ir jo poveikį. Išsaugokite el. laiškus, kuriuose viršininkas skleidžia žeminančius įžeidimus. Laikyti dienoraštį. Įrašykite datą, laiką ir tai, kas atsitiko. (Pavyzdžiui: viršininko išsišokimas per susitikimą atleido kolegą į tualetą ašaromis.)

 

    Tada susikaupk, sako daktaras Suttonas. Paprašykite savo kolegų taip pat įrašyti dienoraščius. Jis prisimena gyvūnų kontrolės pareigūnę, kuri pirmą kartą kreipėsi į savo viršininko viršininką, kad pasiskųstų dėl jos žiauriai įžeidžiančio vadovo. Nieko neatsitiko. Tada ji ir jos kolegos grįžo su savo dienoraščiais. Staiga komanda turėjo naują viršininką.

 

    Svarbiausia yra rasti valdžią turintį asmenį, idealiu atveju žmogų, kuris palaiko šiltus santykius su grupės nariu. Tai rizikinga; jūsų grupei gali nepakakti traukos, kad paskatintų pokyčius. Paruoškite savo gyvenimo aprašymą ir taip pat ieškokite kitų galimybių, sako dr. Sutton, jei maištas būtų nesėkmingas. Vis dėlto daugelis lyderių gali būti įsitikinę, kad blogo vadovo laikymas šalia daro daugiau žalos, nei naudos.

 

    „Kai visi nuolat ateina ir skundžiasi valdžiai, tada jie pradeda tikėti“, – sako jis.

 

    Atidarykite pabėgimo liuką

 

    Kartais tiesiog laikas eiti. Jei jūsų viršininkas atrodo anomalija ir jums patinka įmonė, karjeros konsultantai pataria išbandyti vidinį perėjimą. Padėkokite savo viršininkui, kad padėjo jums augti, ir paaiškinkite, kad norėtumėte išplėsti savo įgūdžius kitame skyriuje.

 

    Kad neperšoktumėte pas kitą blogą viršininką įmonėje ar už jos ribų, patikrinkite „LinkedIn“ ir sužinokite, ar žmonės neseniai paliko jūsų svarstomą skyrių“, – sako Mattas Kerras, Čikagos srities vykdomasis įdarbinimo specialistas. Pokalbio metu „užsirašyk, užsirašyk vardus“, sako jis, ir bakstelėkite savo tinklą, kad gautumėte nefiltruotų atsiliepimų apie potencialius būsimus kolegas.

 

    Interviu metu užduokite konkrečius klausimus: kas nutiko asmeniui, kuris anksčiau atliko vaidmenį? (Jei iš skirtingų žmonių gaunate skirtingus atsakymus, tai raudona vėliavėlė, sako p. Kerras.) Kas lėmė, kad skyriaus žmonėms sekėsi, ar ne? Stebėkite, kaip vadovai elgiasi su savo administraciniais padėjėjais.

 

    P. Kerr rekomenduoja stengtis išlikti darbe bent metus, kad nekiltų klausimų apie savo CV. Tačiau kiekvienas turi teisę į vieną karjeros muliganą, sako jis.

 

    „Gyvenimas per trumpas, kad galėtum dirbti savanaudžiams niekšams“, – priduria jis. [1]

 1. Work & Life: A Survival Guide For Dealing With A Really Bad Boss
Feintzeig, Rachel. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 11 July 2022: A.11.

A Survival Guide For Dealing With A Really Bad Boss

 

"They hover over your shoulder, or send you a Slack every 10 minutes to ask about the report that's not due until next week. They're a screamer, a bully, an expert at lodging passive-aggressive jabs, generally in front of all your colleagues. Or maybe they've just ghosted you, leaving you to figure out the new gig on your own.

As long as there has been work, there have been people who make it miserable for those underneath them. And the recent spate of job-switching has given rise to some job regret. Desperate for talent, many companies swiftly promoted new, sometimes unproven, managers and at the same time accelerated their hiring processes to snap up prospects before rival employers did, says Cate Luzio, the founder and CEO of professional development organization Luminary.

Saying yes to a job was easy for many recruits while they were being wooed with raises and promotions, she says. Harder was knowing what it would actually be like working for that stranger on the Zoom interview. Nearly three-quarters of adults surveyed this year by the Muse, a job-search and career-coaching company, said they felt surprise or regret after starting a new job.

Ms. Luzio has recently seen workers show up to new gigs only to realize they actually have three bosses, or have managers pull back on promises of remote work. Meanwhile, the boss remains the gatekeeper to everything from choice projects and bonuses to your all-around happiness.

It can get better. Here's how to survive, change, leave or overthrow your particular type of bad boss, according to those who have done it.

The Micromanager

Overbearing bosses can't stand being unsure of how a project will turn out, and they can feel no one else cares as much as they do, says Janet Ahn, a social psychologist and executive at training firm MindGym. This type of boss needs assurance that the work will get done well.

Tell them you share their sense of urgency and understand exactly what needs to be done for the task to be considered a success -- right down to the font they prefer.

Subtly, you're communicating, "It's getting done, you don't have to watch over me, but I do hear you," Dr. Ahn says.

Then, flood them with information before they even ask for it. Mary Abbajay, president and co-founder of professional-development company Careerstone Group LLC, recommends sharing frequent status updates -- even daily lists of priorities you're focusing on.

"Become their ally," she says. "All they need is information and control, so you just give it to them."

In the moment, it will feel awful, she says. But as you build trust, they'll loosen their grip.

"You gotta find their pain point and cure it," she says of bad bosses.

The Checked-Out Boss

Maybe they're busy, or burned out, or just very trusting. In any case, it's not great having a manager who ignores your questions or is missing when an assignment goes awry.

This boss needs you to take the lead. Be tenacious, Ms. Abbajay says. Book a series of meetings on their calendar, more than you think you need, since they might cancel half, she warns. In the invite, lay out your agenda and follow through. Preferably in 15 minutes or less.

"Be succinct, be clear," she says. "And be gone."

Aim to primarily communicate via their favorite medium, whether that's email, text or in-person. If it's the latter, keep a running list of all the items where you need their input and carry it around for when you run into them in the office.

Cover yourself too. If they've been missing in action while you're wrapping up a big project, lob over a breezy email noting that it's due tomorrow at 5 p.m. and you're attaching a draft, Ms. Abbajay says. Note that if they have any questions they should let you know by 4 p.m.

And branch out. When Dr. Ahn, the social psychologist, was assigned advisers who were aloof and indifferent during her years as a student, she set up coffee dates with other professors and researchers she admired.

"It feels a little vulnerable," she acknowledges. But forming more connections will help ensure your career keeps moving forward even if your boss isn't advocating for you.

The Toxic Whirlwind

Could you, should you oust your terrible boss? It's worth a try, says Robert Sutton, a Stanford University professor who has written books about working for jerks.

"Employees sometimes forget companies don't want bad bosses," Dr. Sutton says.

Start by documenting misbehavior and its impact. Save emails where the boss is spewing demeaning insults. Keep a diary. Record the date, time and what happened. (For example: The boss's outburst during a meeting sent a colleague to the bathroom in tears.)

Then rally a posse, Dr. Sutton says. Have your colleagues record diaries too. He recalls an animal-control officer who first went to her boss's boss to complain about her verbally abusive manager. Nothing happened. Then she and her colleagues went back with their diaries. Suddenly, the team had a new boss.

The key is to find a person in power, ideally someone who has warm relations with a posse member. It's risky; your group might not have enough pull to prompt change. Prep your resume and look out for other opportunities too, Dr. Sutton says, in case the mutiny is unsuccessful. Still, plenty of leaders can be convinced that keeping a bad manager around is doing more harm than good.

"When everybody keeps coming and complaining to the powers that be, that's when they start believing," he says.

Open the Escape Hatch

Sometimes, it's just time to go. If your boss seems an anomaly and you like the company, career consultants advise trying an internal switch. Thank your boss for helping you grow, and explain you'd like to expand your skills in another department.

To avoid jumping to another bad boss, inside or outside your company, check on LinkedIn to see whether people have recently left the department you are considering, says Matt Kerr, an executive recruiter in the Chicago area. During interviews, "take notes, take names," he says, and tap your network for unfiltered feedback on your potential future colleagues.

Ask pointed questions in interviews: What happened to the person who was in the role prior? (If you get different answers from different people, that's a red flag, Mr. Kerr says.) What's made folks in the department successful, or not? Watch how leaders treat their administrative assistants.

Mr. Kerr recommends trying to stick it out at a job for at least a year to avoid eliciting questions about your resume. But everyone's entitled to one career mulligan, he says.

"Life's too short to work for jerks," he adds.” [1]

 1. Work & Life: A Survival Guide For Dealing With A Really Bad Boss
Feintzeig, Rachel. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 11 July 2022: A.11.