In an effort to better understand long COVID-19 in U.S. workplaces, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Surgeon General are inviting the public to join a national online dialogue beginning today to gather ideas to better support workers coping with symptoms, their co-workers and their employers.

By some estimates, one in five people infected with COVID in the U.S. may experience a wide range of symptoms lasting three or more months that includes shortness of breath, fatigue, brain fog, heart palpitations, headaches, anxiety, depression and other symptoms.

“Understanding and Addressing the Workplace Challenges Related to Long COVID” is a virtual crowdsourcing event, hosted on the department’s behalf by its Office of Disability Employment Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Employment and Training Administration, and Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs.

Dialogue participants are invited to submit ideas, share comments and show their support for others’ ideas that they believe can help federal agencies identify and respond to long COVID’s workplace challenges, and help reduce the employment and financial impacts of the condition.

Specifically, the department is seeking public input on long COVID in the following areas:

• Challenges workers face as they cope with symptoms.
• Support for workers with long COVID from their employers.
• Ways to inform workers and employers about long COVID.
• Organizations to engage to develop solutions for those affected by long COVID.
• Obstacles to obtaining disability benefits that workers with long COVID face.

Learn more from the CDC about long COVID or post-COVID conditions.

View the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy’s answer to the question: “What is Long COVID and Who Can Get It?”