The appointment of the former health secretary Jeremy Hunt as chancellor is particularly timely, given one of the largest problems facing the British economy: the growing number of working-age adults who are “economically inactive” – meaning they are neither employed nor looking for work – because they struggling with long-term sickness. Long-term sickness is being driven by two key factors: long Covid and people being signed off sick until they can access NHS care.
While the mortality rate for Covid-19 has fallen significantly through vaccination and treatments, the disease is still the cause of chronic illness. Of those who have been infected, an estimated 5.5% have debilitating symptoms including fatigue, recurring fevers, brain fog and heart, lung and kidney damage. A recent study in the Lancet estimated that about 22% of people with long Covid were unable to work due to ill health and another 45% had to take reduced hours. Many countries will start to see waves of Covid every three months, leading to many more people developing chronic illness and leaving the workforce.
