More than 3,000 Coloradans who tested positive for COVID-19 said they had been sick with COVID-19 for a long time, according to a new survey

Lindsay Whittington, from the institute, said: “Nearly half of people with long-term COVID-19 infections (approximately 138,000 people) have had to miss work or school, and a further third (approximately 100,000 people) have had to miss work or school. More than 2,000 employees had to reduce their working hours.” Data and Analytics Manager, Co-Principal Investigator.

The results are as follows. 2023 Colorado Health Access Surveyaccording to a survey conducted in 2023 among 10,000 households, a robust sample of Coloradans.

Around one in 20 people (about 20,000 people) had to leave their jobs, and a similar number (about 24,000 people) applied for disability benefits.

“This further highlights the economic hardship for people who test positive for coronavirus and experience symptoms that make it difficult for them to work,” Whittington said.

Almost a quarter (62,000) were otherwise affected.

Colorado's labor market has lost “tens of thousands” of workers due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a study.

The study estimates that the lingering effects of the coronavirus are affecting more than 300,000 Coloradans, but that number is likely an underestimate.

Nearly half of Coloradans ages 16 and older said they had tested positive for the coronavirus at some point since the pandemic began in 2020. This equates to more than 2.2 million people, but the report notes that the number could be much higher, many because: I have never taken a COVID-19 test or received a false negative.

In this study, participants were given the option to describe their lingering, life-altering symptoms. Many said they had to deal with physical fatigue and brain fog, which was interfering with their activities and hobbies. Many people are still reporting difficulty breathing, coughing and needing oxygen or inhalers.

“I wasn't really surprised by the results,” said Denver resident Clarence Troutman. He had a 37-year career as a broadband engineer, but his virus derailed that career. He contracted the virus early in the pandemic and was briefly hospitalized and put on a ventilator, where he ended up staying for two months. His symptoms, especially his fatigue, have improved somewhat but are still present.

“I can relate to some of the things on the list, but mainly the impact it all has on my career,” he said. “It was truly life-changing.”

This data reflects what researchers at CU Anschutz observed.

“We believe these studies substantiate what we have been hearing individually from patients in our clinics over the past four years and highlight the larger societal impact of long-term COVID-19. ,” said Dr. Sarah Jolly, researcher and medical director at CU Anschutz. UCHealth Post-Corona Clinic.

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They are part of a large national observation effort recover surveyIt includes 90,000 adults and children and more than 300 clinical research sites across the United States, Jolly said.

One in seven is a low number for Dan Stoute, a physical therapist at High Definition Physical Therapy in Inglewood, who treats long-term COVID-19 patients, according to a Colorado Health Research Institute study. looks like.

“The impact on life, school and work is very real,” Stoute said.

He added that it is often forgotten that these people no longer have active coronavirus infection and most laboratory tests have come back normal.

“But they have very significant impairments that prevent them from participating in life in the same way they could before they contracted COVID-19,” Sault said.

Sometimes, he says, schools and employers “ignore them as if there's nothing wrong with them. We see the same pattern with people with brain injuries.”