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As yet, long covid has no cure. What scientists know so far about the disease points to it being a combination of a persistent viral infection (for which a drug may be found at some point), a chronic autoimmune disorder (which would need expensive, complex care like that for rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis) and lingering damage to some tissues caused by the original covid-19 infection. Medicines for the first two of these causes may ultimately be found. America alone has put $1.15bn into research. At the moment, though, sufferers need months of rehabilitation to help them cope.
到目前为止，新冠病毒的长期并发症至今还没有治愈方法。科学家们目前对这种疾病的了解表明，它结合了持续性病毒感染（可能会在某个阶段发现治疗药物）、慢性自身免疫性疾病（治疗中需要进行昂贵且复杂的护理，如风湿性关节炎或多发性硬化症的护理治疗），以及初次新冠感染时造成的某些组织的长期损伤。最终可能会找到治疗前两种病因的药物。仅美国就投入了11.5亿美元用于研究。不过，患者眼下需要数月的康复治疗来帮助应对症状。
Health-care systems and employers must prepare to assist long-covid sufferers,including those who have no proof of past infection because they were not able to be tested. Prompt rehabilitative care can prevent a downward spiral in personal health and finances. Dedicated long-covid clinics will speed things up. As things now stand, patients often bounce from one specialist to another in search of a diagnosis.
医疗保健系统和雇主必须做好长期支援新冠病毒长期并发症患者的准备，也包括那些因未能接受检测而无法证明自己曾经感染新冠的患者。及时的康复护理可以防止个人健康和财务状况的恶化。新冠病毒长期并发症的专科诊所也将加快步伐。就目前的情况来看，患者频繁辗转于不同的专家之间寻求诊断。
Employers, for their part, must rethink how to accommodate workers with a disability that flares up in unpredictable bouts. Governments can help, with incentives that encourage sufferers to stay in work and employers to cater to their condition. If governments miss the boat, millions of young and mid-career workers could permanently drop out of the labour force. One approach could draw on a scheme for disability benefits that is used in the Netherlands. Dutch employer sand employees who are too unwell to work as normal are required to come up jointly with a plan on how the sick employee can return to work under new conditions. Remote working and flexible schedules would make it easier for long-covid sufferers to work at least part-time. Many of them will improve, though even that can take months.
站在雇主的角度上，他们则必须重新考虑如何照顾那些会突然发病的有障碍员工。政府可以提供帮助，通过激励措施来鼓励患者继续工作，并鼓励雇主照顾身体不便的员工。如果政府坐失良机，数百万刚步入职场以及处于职业中期的员工可能会永久退出劳动力市场。其中一种办法就是可以借鉴荷兰采用的残疾津贴计划。荷兰雇主和身体不便、无法正常工作的雇员需要共同制定一项方案，计划患病员工如何在新的条件下重返工作岗位。远程办公和灵活的时间安排将使新冠长期并发症患者更方便，至少是从事兼职工作。许多患者的身体症状会有所改善，尽管这可能需要几个月的时间。
Lots of mistakes were made in the pandemic’s acute phase. But that came out of the blue. There is no excuse for failing to respond to long covid. And there is no time to waste.
我们在疫情危急时期犯了许多错误。但突如其来的疫情让我们防不胜防。我们没有理由无法处理新冠长期并发症危机。现在刻不容缓。
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