Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the release of a new study from WCRi that found 6% of workers with COVID-19 developed “Long COVID”, with many of them continuing to receive medical care a year after their infections.
WCRI noted that the main takeaways included that Long COVID continued to affect a meaningful share of workers’ with COVID-19 infections, and was an important driver of claim costs. At an average of 18 months of post-infection experience, workers with Long COVID received more than 20 weeks of temporary disability benefits and received about $29,000 in medical care. The study also examines the costs of Long COVID claims; durations of temporary disability benefits among workers with Long COVID; industry and worker characteristics associated with Long COVID; and how rates of Long COVID vary across states.