Figures from the Independent Heath Mutuals show that last year more than 6,000 people in Belgium were unable to work for at least three months following an infection with COVID-19. The lion’s share of these were people with Long Covid. People with Long Covid suffer from a host of symptoms ranging from memory and concentration issues to shortness of breath and fatigue. These significantly impact them in their daily lives.
More than 6,000 people in Belgium unable to work for at least 3 months following COVID-19 infection in 2021
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Marijke Gielen of the Independent Health Mutuals told VRT News that “We are talking about 6,000 people out of an active population of around five million. All of them were out of action for at least three months following a COVID-19 infection". Ms Gielen added that the figures for this year are heading in the same direction.
Among the 6,000 patients off work for more than three months there are also people with post-intensive care syndrome. "Some patients retain long-term symptoms from their stay in intensive care. That is not the same as Long Covid, although there are similarities in the symptoms", Ms Gielen said.
All of those included in this figure were either in employment or actively looking for a job prior to them having become infected with COVID-19.
Those with Long Covid that were unable to work for less than three months after their infection were not included in the figures. Children, those with statuary civil service employment contracts, pensioners and dependent adults were also not included in the figures.
Likely to be an underestimate
Psychiatrist Livia De Picker believes that the figure of 6,000 is therefore an underestimate. "I used international research on the number of patients who develop Long Covid after infection and have to stop working completely as a result. In Europe, those figures vary little from country to country", Dr De Picker said.
Dr De Pickler combined the figures from the Independent Health Mutuals with those from the public health science institute Sciensano on the number of infections among those aged between 20 and 60 from September 2021 to August 2022, Dr De Picker concludes that at least 13,500 people were unable to work for over three months between 1 September 2021 and 31 August this year.
Sciensano’s Pierre Smith told VRT News that there are several explanations for the large discrepancy between the two estimates. First of all there is no generally accepted definition of Long Covid. "If you use strict criteria, you end up with a lower number. If you use a broad definition, then there are more patients."
Moreover, diagnosing Long Covid is not always self-evident. "Being tired, muscle pain and so on can also come from a lot of other ailements," Dr Smith said. "You then have to rule out all other possibilities, but that is often a complicated matter."