LONG-COVID sufferers seeking benefits will be treated on a case-by-case basis, the Social Security Minister has said – after the Island’s expert said the condition could be classed as a disability.
Dr Matt Doyle, who has been running Jersey’s long-Covid clinic at the General Hospital since February 2022, said that the potentially debilitating condition had left some Islanders so ill they had been forced to give up their careers.
Social Security Minister Elaine Millar said: ‘Benefits and discrimination rights in Jersey do not depend on whether a specific condition qualifies as a disability.’
Unlike most councils in the UK, Jersey does not maintain a disability register. Instead, ‘rights in Jersey are assessed by looking at the impact of the condition on the individual in terms of their ability or capacity to undertake everyday activities, or on the loss of faculty experienced by the person as a result of the condition,’ Deputy Millar said.
Islanders can apply for impairment or health payments on the gov.je website where they should provide details of their condition and describe how it affects them.
Deputy Millar added: ‘The term “long-Covid” is currently used to describe a wide range of symptoms. Depending on the severity of the condition, individuals are already covered by benefit and discrimination rights.’
The symptoms include fatigue, breathlessness, changes in bowel movements, joint pains, headaches, cognitive impairment, and alterations to taste and smell. Serious cases can develop even after a mild initial infection.
