Losing a Job Because of Long COVID: ‘We Do Not Want to Be Sick’ — Health & Hiring
Key takeaways:
Georgia Linders has what’s known as long COVID — lingering symptoms of COVID-19.
She says she lost her job because of it.
Today, she’s on federal disability and programs to help pay for her food and housing.
Health & Hiring is a series that explores health in the workplace. If you have a story to share, email patientstories@goodrx.com.
Georgia Linders thinks she caught COVID-19 in March 2020, when only the most at-risk patients were able to get a test. She felt foggy, tired, and had a fever, sore throat, and headaches.
But unlike most who contract the virus, her symptoms never went away. After 2 months of continued illness, Georgia was diagnosed with long COVID. That’s an umbrella term for the long-term symptoms of COVID, including:
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Neurological issues
Sleep disorders
Despite having lingering symptoms, Georgia kept working as an administrative assistant in the healthcare industry. The job required many phone calls and multitasking. At the end of 2020, she took medical leave. A few months later, her job was terminated. She’d been with the company for 9 years.
“I was working hard every day, pushing through the fever and fatigue — then told I was only completing a fraction of the work,” says Georgia, who’s 45 and lives in Onalaska, Wisconsin.
“It didn’t make sense to me because I was very busy … all day. I knew that I wasn’t quite as sharp as I was before COVID, but I had no idea that my cognitive abilities were as bad as they were.”
Long COVID is a growing problem
Around 1 in 5 American adults have long COVID, according to the CDC. And as many as 4 million Americans are out of work because of it, the Brookings Institute reports.
More than 2 years after she first felt ill, Georgia continues to deal with fevers, fatigue, and brain fog. She’s lost the ability to smell or taste. Her heart races even when she performs the most basic tasks. She’s stopped taking daily showers, wearing make-up or styling her hair.
“Now I have to sit in a shower chair, and I can barely shower once a week,” she says. “Being newly disabled with a chronic illness is very scary and isolating. I watch family and friends getting on with their lives after getting COVID while I stay sick.”
As her condition has worsened, Georgia has wondered if she would have been able to keep up with her previous job if she still had it. Cognitive tests have shown her brain slows down and her physical symptoms speed up when she multitasks.
“Sometimes I need to immediately nap so my heart stops pounding. This is why I can’t work,” Georgia says. “Accepting I now have a chronic illness is a huge step in the right direction, but it’s still very hard to do.”
Applying for disability and financial help
Georgia initially received short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD) benefits through her employer. But it wasn’t enough to pay the bills. She dipped into her 401(k) retirement fund at the end of 2020 without penalty using the Cares Act. But she was unable to afford her home even with pandemic rental assistance. She now lives in subsidized housing.
Today, she relies on Wisconsin’s Medicaid and food stamps programs for healthcare and food. In February 2022, she began receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Getting disability benefits was a trying process, she says. She needed to submit medical records, hire an attorney, and speak to a judge via phone call.
“The process of applying for private and government disability is completely exhausting. I can only fill out paperwork and make phone calls for short periods of time per day followed by long periods of rest,” Georgia says.
“I feel very fortunate that I was approved for short- and long-term disability and SSDI. I was privileged with a good job with access to healthcare so that I could find doctors willing to help me. Many other ‘long haulers’ have been denied similar benefits. As an advocate, I try to help others get approved by sharing what worked for me."
Future long COVID sufferers who still work now have another option. As of July 2021, long COVID falls under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The U.S. Department of Labor urges employers to provide accommodations for employees with long COVID.
“When President Biden stated that long COVID could be considered a disability, it was bittersweet,” Georgia says. “I had already been let go by my employer.”
An advocate for people with long COVID
Georgia wants to help others who, like her, are living with a condition that doctors don’t know a lot about. She volunteers with the C-19 Longhauler Advocacy Project. She’s also active on its nearly 9,000-member strong Facebook group. She shares her story with the media and policy makers and is advocating for more robust long COVID research.
Still, many don’t know long COVID exists.
“It’s talked about more, but we have a long way to go,” Georgia says. “Long haulers are still having to educate their doctors about this condition. We do not want to be sick.”
“I try to make the best of my new ‘normal.’ I lean more into creative hobbies when I can tell my cognitive abilities are slowing down. I sculpt and paint. It keeps my mind off how horrible I feel every single day.”
She feels like her life has been on hold, at least for now.
“I was the happiest and healthiest I’ve been my entire life before I got long COVID. And now my life is stuck on pause,” Georgia says. “Hopefully, not for too much longer.”
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