New Israeli research has discovered that poorer people are affected by long COVID far more widely as compared to those who are wealthy.
The study was focused on the number of long COVID symptoms that are experienced by people who are recovering from acute or severe infection.
It discovered that the number of symptoms was double in poorer individuals as opposed to the wealthier respondents.
More symptoms
The study discovered that there were 3.3 symptoms on average found in low-income Israelis after recovery, while 1.8 symptoms were found in Israelis with a higher-income.
The research was conducted by academics from a number of institutions including the Washington University in St. Louis, the Ben Gurion University and several others.
While the severity of symptoms was not assessed in the study, the researchers concluded that the quantity of the symptoms was enough to show the difference in impact of long COVID.
This was in light of the big difference they were able to highlight as well as the importance of the results. A wide spectrum is covered by long COVID symptoms, which include muscle pain, fatigue, memory and concentration problems, mental health issues and sleeping problems.
The study
Almost 2,200 Israelis were part of the study and the academics focused on their health. They also identified the trend in regard to socioeconomic lines in those who had recovered from COVID.
Ben Gurion University’s Dr. Stav Shapira said that it was well-known that poorer people had been affected more due to infections.
She said that the latest study showed that long COVID also affected them disproportionately and it was important to know this.
She went on to say that it had been observed that poorer people’s health is at a disadvantage because of the lifestyle they have and the environment they have to put up with.
She stated that the latest research showed it was hitting them quite hard in the case of long COVID. Shapira added that this also emphasized the connection between health and social determinants.
Long COVID
Whether it is health systems, or recovered patients, both of them have found long COVID to be a big challenge.
Research was recently published showing that one in three adults who catch COVID are unable to return to levels before the disease even three months later.
Another study had also discovered that millions of people all over the world had seen their sense of wellbeing shaken up due to long COVID.
Thanks to the latest research, policymakers, nurses and doctors can understand the extent to which long COVID can be exacerbated due to socio-economic factors.
This can help them in planning out which communities and neighborhoods need extra resources. Shapira said that their research could be helpful policy-wise.
It shows that specific population groups need to be targeted and infrastructure needs to be developed for dealing with the expected health burden.
She said that specific groups should be focused on, which means that geographical periphery deserves special attention in Israel.