Corona-News: Long Covid affects educators the most

News about Corona from April 12, 2023

According to the AOK, Long Covid affects educators the most

Friday April 14, 2023 6:21 am: According to a data analysis by AOK Nordost, educators in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are most affected by long-lasting symptoms after corona infections. About 1.1 percent of all AOK-insured people in this professional group in the country have been on sick leave because of Long Covid since the beginning of the pandemic, the health insurance company announced on Friday. Across all sectors, 0.7 percent of all employees have been diagnosed with long-Covid disease. On average, those affected were out of work for around seven and a half weeks, according to press spokesman Dirk Becker.

According to the AOK Nordost, about one in four people in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is insured with this health insurance company. Thus, the data analysis can be regarded as approximately representative.

In addition to educators, the ten professional groups most affected by Long Covid are primarily employees from the healthcare industry, such as geriatric nurses. In addition, employees in public administration and in social administration also suffered from long-term consequences of a corona infection with an above-average frequency.

With regard to age, the survey shows that older employees are affected by Long Covid for much longer on average. “People over 60 had to take sick leave for an average of eleven weeks to recover from typical long-Covid symptoms such as shortness of breath, chronic fatigue and cognitive disorders,” the statement said. According to the information, the under-30s needed around half of this time – an average of five and a half weeks.

According to AOK Nordost, the data analysis evaluated how many AOK policyholders entitled to sick pay were unable to work between March 2020 and December 2022 due to a long or post-Covid illness. A total of around 600 sick leave reports were included. According to the information, only those in which at least 1000 AOK-insured persons are employed were considered for the ten most affected professions.

Saxony is waiting for the remuneration for corona vaccinations to be revised

06:34: At the moment, health insurance patients in Saxony have to finance themselves for a corona vaccination. The negotiations with eleven regions of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV) for a new regulation of remuneration for corona vaccinations are underway, the Association of Substitute Health Insurance Funds (VDEK) announced on Wednesday. “We are assuming that deals will be concluded quickly here too,” said VDEK CEO Ulrike Elsner.

The Ministry of Health‘s vaccination regulation expired last Saturday (April 8). According to the negotiations so far, only insured persons in Bavaria, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia and in the Westphalia-Lippe region can easily be vaccinated against Corona upon presentation of their electronic health card.

“As a substitute health insurance fund, we began negotiations at the beginning of the year in order to achieve a smooth transition in the interests of the insured,” says Elsner. However, the talks are “very difficult because the doctors have asked for fees that are far higher than those for other vaccinations”. The VDEK called on the remaining associations of statutory health insurance physicians to conclude the negotiations quickly in order to enable vaccination for all insured persons in an unbureaucratic manner.

As long as no agreement has been made, the insured will first receive an invoice from their doctor’s office and can submit this to their health insurance company for reimbursement.

Anchor Centers for PostCovid planned for summer

Thursday April 13, 2023 6:33 am: Rhineland-Palatinate wants to support contact points for those affected by long and post-Covid with a total of 250,000 euros in the five regional centers of the state. “We want to take people by the hand,” said state vaccination coordinator and ministerial director Daniel Stich (SPD) on Wednesday in Mainz after the first meeting of an interdisciplinary round table. For the planned interdisciplinary contact points or anchor centers, a pilot function of family doctors is necessary. “The situation of those affected in Rhineland-Palatinate must be improved.” The most important questions and answers at a glance:

What is Post Covid?

This includes complaints that are present for more than twelve weeks after a SARS-CoV-2 infection and cannot be attributed to any other cause. “What most of those affected by long-/post-Covid-Syndrome have in common is that they have symptoms or complaints that cause a limitation in everyday function and quality of life that requires treatment and have a negative impact on social and/or working life,” notes the Ministry of Health. Due to the multifaceted symptoms, post-Covid remains a diagnosis of exclusion. “We still don’t have a clear diagnosis and therapy,” said Stich.

How many people are affected?

According to the Ministry of Health, around 80,000 people in Rhineland-Palatinate have long or post-Covid symptoms. About half of them had been to doctors several times because of this, said Stich. About 1500 to 2000 people from Rhineland-Palatinate suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome.

When are the anchor centers coming?

See you in the summer, said Stich. This is intended to reach doctors from various disciplines. By the end of the year, the federal government also wants to introduce legally binding principles for the contract medical care of those affected.

Where can you inform those affected?

Important information for those seeking help and their relatives is to be bundled on a central website before the summer. The State Center for Health Promotion (LZG) can also provide information.

How many corona vaccination damages are there?

According to Stich, 432 applications have been made. Of these, eight were recognized and 15 rejected; the remaining cases had not yet been decided. For comparison: more than 9.1 million vaccinations against the corona virus have been carried out.

Who will pay for corona vaccinations in the future?

That has not yet been clarified. The statutory health insurance companies and the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians are still negotiating. Health Minister Clemens Hoch (SPD) expects an agreement to be reached soon. The KV is less optimistic. As long as there is no agreement, doctors can provide the corona vaccination according to the fee schedule and bill it as a private service. Patients can submit the bill to their health insurance company and, according to Hoch, are entitled to reimbursement. According to the General Practitioners Association, 16 euros were agreed in Bavaria and 15 euros per vaccination in Schleswig-Holstein.

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