Ongoing impacts

While in the recovery phase it is highly likely that, for some individuals and communities, the effects and impacts will linger. For example, in July 2021, more than 183 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been recorded worldwide, with indications that many individuals were suffering from ‘long COVID’. Long COVID is a term that covers a range of symptoms that remain after the clearance of the acute COVID-19 infection.371

While it is not yet clear how many New Zealanders have been and will be impacted by long COVID, the United Kingdom Office for National Statistics (ONS) has analysed the rate of long COVID symptoms in the United Kingdom. Their estimates suggest that, over a five-week period, the prevalence of any symptom among survey respondents who tested positive for COVID-19 was 22.1 percent, and the 12-week prevalence was 9.9 percent.372 These estimates were established from data sampled between April and December 2020, before many of the variants dominated COVID-19 infections. While there are likely to be discrepancies between variants, there is a possibility that close to 10 percent of an infected population could experience longer-term effects from COVID-19.

At the time of writing, it was unclear what is the maximum duration of long COVID, but it is possible that some individuals meet the definition of having a disability through their experience with the pandemic. In Aotearoa New Zealand, disability is defined as any self-perceived limitation in activity resulting from a long-term condition or health problem lasting or expected to last six months or more and not eliminated by an assistive device. 373 The ONS found that, after five weeks, 11.9 percent of COVID-19 patients continued to experience fatigue, 4.6 percent continued to experience breathlessness, and cardiovascular abnormalities remain an ongoing concern.374, 375

These figures are worrying as long COVID may require long-term investment in support and treatment. Further studies are required to expand our understanding of long COVID, 376 nevertheless it is possible that Aotearoa New Zealand will need to include consideration of disability through the lasting impacts of pandemics.

Further information about disability during a pandemic response is provided in the next chapter.