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As yet, long covid has no cure. What scientists know so far about the disease points to it being a combination of a persistent viral infection (for which a drug may be found at some point), a chronic autoimmune disorder (which would need expensive, complex care like that for rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis) and lingering damage to some tissues caused by the original covid-19 infection. Medicines for the first two of these causes may ultimately be found. America alone has put $1.15bn into research. At the moment, though, sufferers need months of rehabilitation to help them cope.
到目前為止，新冠病毒的長期并發(fā)癥至今還沒有治愈方法。科學(xué)家們目前對這種疾病的了解表明，它結(jié)合了持續(xù)性病毒感染（可能會在某個(gè)階段發(fā)現(xiàn)治療藥物）、慢性自身免疫性疾病（治療中需要進(jìn)行昂貴且復(fù)雜的護(hù)理，如風(fēng)濕性關(guān)節(jié)炎或多發(fā)性硬化癥的護(hù)理治療），以及初次新冠感染時(shí)造成的某些組織的長期損傷。最終可能會找到治療前兩種病因的藥物。僅美國就投入了11.5億美元用于研究。不過，患者眼下需要數(shù)月的康復(fù)治療來幫助應(yīng)對癥狀。
Health-care systems and employers must prepare to assist long-covid sufferers,including those who have no proof of past infection because they were not able to be tested. Prompt rehabilitative care can prevent a downward spiral in personal health and finances. Dedicated long-covid clinics will speed things up. As things now stand, patients often bounce from one specialist to another in search of a diagnosis.
醫(yī)療保健系統(tǒng)和雇主必須做好長期支援新冠病毒長期并發(fā)癥患者的準(zhǔn)備，也包括那些因未能接受檢測而無法證明自己曾經(jīng)感染新冠的患者。及時(shí)的康復(fù)護(hù)理可以防止個(gè)人健康和財(cái)務(wù)狀況的惡化。新冠病毒長期并發(fā)癥的專科診所也將加快步伐。就目前的情況來看，患者頻繁輾轉(zhuǎn)于不同的專家之間尋求診斷。
Employers, for their part, must rethink how to accommodate workers with a disability that flares up in unpredictable bouts. Governments can help, with incentives that encourage sufferers to stay in work and employers to cater to their condition. If governments miss the boat, millions of young and mid-career workers could permanently drop out of the labour force. One approach could draw on a scheme for disability benefits that is used in the Netherlands. Dutch employer sand employees who are too unwell to work as normal are required to come up jointly with a plan on how the sick employee can return to work under new conditions. Remote working and flexible schedules would make it easier for long-covid sufferers to work at least part-time. Many of them will improve, though even that can take months.
站在雇主的角度上，他們則必須重新考慮如何照顧那些會突然發(fā)病的有障礙員工。政府可以提供幫助，通過激勵(lì)措施來鼓勵(lì)患者繼續(xù)工作，并鼓勵(lì)雇主照顧身體不便的員工。如果政府坐失良機(jī)，數(shù)百萬剛步入職場以及處于職業(yè)中期的員工可能會永久退出勞動力市場。其中一種辦法就是可以借鑒荷蘭采用的殘疾津貼計(jì)劃。荷蘭雇主和身體不便、無法正常工作的雇員需要共同制定一項(xiàng)方案，計(jì)劃患病員工如何在新的條件下重返工作崗位。遠(yuǎn)程辦公和靈活的時(shí)間安排將使新冠長期并發(fā)癥患者更方便，至少是從事兼職工作。許多患者的身體癥狀會有所改善，盡管這可能需要幾個(gè)月的時(shí)間。
Lots of mistakes were made in the pandemic’s acute phase. But that came out of the blue. There is no excuse for failing to respond to long covid. And there is no time to waste.
我們在疫情危急時(shí)期犯了許多錯(cuò)誤。但突如其來的疫情讓我們防不勝防。我們沒有理由無法處理新冠長期并發(fā)癥危機(jī)。現(xiàn)在刻不容緩。
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