Long COVID, a chronic post-infection disorder that produces various symptoms and impacts multiple organ systems, has affected the lives of over 400 million people around the world. This entry will consider three aspects of Long COVID as a disability: how it is viewed by medical clinicians and public policy makers; the lived experience of those who suffer from it; and finally, and how it not only highlights key concepts of disability studies but may also transform how scholars in this field think about their topic. A number of intersecting themes become apparent across these three aspects. First is the uncertainty that surrounds Long COVID; this impacts how medical clinicians and policy makers respond to Long COVID and also how people with the illness experience it. Second is how this uncertainty helps Long COVID become a contested illness with a significant degree of stigmatization. This experience of stigma has produced widespread feelings of guilt and shame among those with Long COVID. Third, the experience of stigma shows that the experience of Long COVID is felt far beyond its physical symptoms; it also affects the quality of life, mental health, and sense of identity of those who have it. In particular, these elements were particularly experienced in the workplace and in interactions with healthcare professionals. Last is how these factors helped encourage the development of an embodied social movement around the condition. Further, social media was particularly important for helping to foster a Long COVID health social movement. While the pandemic might be over, the long-term effects of Long COVID remain and will likely continue into the distant future.

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Long COVID as a Disability

  • Charles Allan McCoy

摘要

Long COVID, a chronic post-infection disorder that produces various symptoms and impacts multiple organ systems, has affected the lives of over 400 million people around the world. This entry will consider three aspects of Long COVID as a disability: how it is viewed by medical clinicians and public policy makers; the lived experience of those who suffer from it; and finally, and how it not only highlights key concepts of disability studies but may also transform how scholars in this field think about their topic. A number of intersecting themes become apparent across these three aspects. First is the uncertainty that surrounds Long COVID; this impacts how medical clinicians and policy makers respond to Long COVID and also how people with the illness experience it. Second is how this uncertainty helps Long COVID become a contested illness with a significant degree of stigmatization. This experience of stigma has produced widespread feelings of guilt and shame among those with Long COVID. Third, the experience of stigma shows that the experience of Long COVID is felt far beyond its physical symptoms; it also affects the quality of life, mental health, and sense of identity of those who have it. In particular, these elements were particularly experienced in the workplace and in interactions with healthcare professionals. Last is how these factors helped encourage the development of an embodied social movement around the condition. Further, social media was particularly important for helping to foster a Long COVID health social movement. While the pandemic might be over, the long-term effects of Long COVID remain and will likely continue into the distant future.