The coronavirus pandemic will create 'a generation of disabled individuals,' according to a doctor and researcher

• Dr. Peter Hotez, a professor and dean at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN there will be a large uptick in the number of people who have disabilities due to the coronavirus.
• He said people who have had the virus now have "long-standing lung injury, cardiovascular injury, heart injury, and neurologic injury as well" and there's evidence that people are taking long-term work disability leave as a result.
• These long-term health effects are especially prevalent and of concern for low-income people without health insurance, Hotez said.

The coronavirus pandemic has already resulted in 130,000 deaths, but one overlooked concern is how the virus' health consequences will affect people in the years to come.

According to one doctor, it could mean a major uptick in the number of people who have physical disabilities and are unable to work.

Dr. Peter Hotez, a professor and dean at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN that the rate of debilitating illnesses among survivors is going to be a significant concern for the US to reckon with in years to come.

He said people who have had the virus now have "long-standing lung injury, cardiovascular injury, heart injury, and neurologic injury as well" that could make it difficult or impossible to work.

"In many ways, we're going to be producing a generation of disabled individuals" Hotez told CNN.

—Leah McElrath ️‍ (@leahmcelrath) July 6, 2020

In an April 1 interview with Joe Rogan, Hotez explained that people who have recovered from the coronavirus still exhibit symptoms like coughing and wheezing long after recovery.

"And a lot of that is, and we see this with flu as well and other viral pneumonia, is it's not because they're still infected with the virus. It's all that scarring, it takes the body a long time to remodel all the scar tissue and before the coughing stops. So we can anticipate that happening as well," Hotez told Rogan.

People who have had COVID-19 may also experience nervous system problems, loss of muscle mass, and kidney and digestive issues to the point they can't live independently anymore, according to respiratory health researchers at Swansea University in Wales.

Hotez said these chronic health issues are mainly affecting people in low-income areas who don't have health insurance.

"And to just say, 'Hey look at the death rate now,' is extremely superficial," Hotez said, because the lasting effects of the pandemic will go far beyond that.

• Read more:
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