Controversial figures from the authorities – long-Covid has not led to more new IV pensions so far – News


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The disability insurance has so far not reported any increase in the number of pensions. But that could still change.

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Across Switzerland, almost 1,800 people who are suffering from Covid applied for an IV pension last year. As Florian Steinbacher, President of the IV Job Conference, explains, there can also be cases that With Covid, but not exclusively because of the consequences of a Covid infection in the IV procedure.

Only since the beginning of this year have those patients who only suffer from the consequences of Covid disease been recorded separately, according to Steinbacher.

The example of Ticino


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Patients who complain of chronic fatigue or muscle pain – a possible consequence of a previous Covid infection – are currently reporting to the IV offices. In Ticino, a particularly large number of people were infected during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. But anyone who assumes that there will be a flood of IV applications from southern Switzerland is mistaken: In Ticino, around 50 people submitted an IV application in 2021 because of the consequences of their Covid disease – and not even five of them have received an IV pension so far .

But that doesn’t change the low number of cases, says the IV boss. So far, around half of the applicants have received financial grants. Most of the funds were committed to professional reintegration. Only very few receive an IV pension.

Just the tip of the iceberg?

Chantal Britt doubts the current IV figures. She is President of the patient organization Long Covid Switzerland – and recently herself an applicant for an IV pension because of the long-term effects of Covid. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” she says.

Although a lot has been learned about Long Covid in the last two years, this has not yet been reflected in the assessment of the individual cases, says Britt.

The many cases in which people were not hospitalized are much more difficult to clarify clinically.

With their organization you can see many more cases of Long Covid than the numbers of the IV suggested. So far, mainly the clear cases have been closed.

“But the many cases in which people were not hospitalized are much more difficult – they are much more difficult to clarify clinically because you cannot necessarily prove anything.”

Difficult to prove complaints

For Britt, Long Covid is something like the new whiplash – a pain disorder that cannot be easily proven and therefore makes the chance of an IV pension small for those affected.

When asked about this, IV boss Steinbacher emphasizes: “Jurisdiction helps us with the unclear symptoms.” This stated that standard indicators had to be used for the assessment. “This is done systematically – the same for everyone, whether for cases of Long Covid or other pathologies”.

Steinbacher does not currently assume that IV pensions will increase sharply in the future due to Long Covid. One reason for his optimism is the long-Covid drugs that are being developed to help those suffering from the effects of Covid infection.

Hoping for new drugs

“We still have a long way to go,” says the President of the Long Covid Switzerland patient organization. She hopes the money needed to research Long Covid will be raised. “We can’t just watch as a large part of the working population is disabled and we do nothing about it.”

Until there is an effective treatment for long-Covid patients, the bare numbers of the IV will probably still give a lot to talk about.

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