Even as the world battles the coronavirus pandemic and its impacts, according to a US doctor and researcher, there will be a significant uptick in the number of people who have disabilities due to the coronavirus.
Dr. Peter Hotez, a professor and dean at Baylor College of Medicine, was quoted as saying by CNN.
He said people who have had the virus now have “long-standing lung injury, cardiovascular injury, heart injury, and neurologic injury,” and there’s evidence that people are taking long-term work disability leave.
These long-term health effects are especially prevalent, and of concern for low-income people without health insurance, Hotez said.
Dr. Peter Hotez that the rate of debilitating illnesses among survivors is going to be a significant concern for the US to reckon with in years to come.
He said people who have had the virus now have “long-standing lung injury, cardiovascular injury, heart injury, and neurologic injury,” which could make it difficult or impossible to work.
“In many ways, we’re going to be producing a generation of individuals with disabilities,” Hotez told CNN. Hotez explained that people who have recovered from the coronavirus still exhibit symptoms like coughing and wheezing long after recovery.
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People who have had COVID-19 may also experience nervous system problems, loss of muscle mass, and kidney and digestive issues to the point they can’t live independently anymore, according to respiratory health researchers at Swansea University in Wales.
