It was found that the number of cases infected with the new coronavirus and recognized as an industrial accident was more than 19,000 last year, which is about four times the number of the previous year.
This includes cases where the so-called "sequelae" after infection was recognized as an industrial accident, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare wants you to apply for an industrial accident if the symptoms of "sequelae" continue.
If a person who works as a full-time employee or a non-regular employee is infected with the new corona and applies for an industrial accident, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, in principle, recognizes it as an industrial accident if it is related to the work even if the route of infection cannot be specified.
If it is recognized as an industrial accident, you can receive medical treatment free of charge at a designated medical institution, and when you take a break from work, 80% of the average daily wage will be paid as "holiday compensation".
In addition, if the bereaved family dies, the bereaved family can apply for an industrial accident, and if they are certified, they can receive a survivor compensation pension.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of cases infected with the new corona was 19,424 last year, which was about four times the number of the previous year.
This includes cases where people had to take time off from work due to so-called "sequelae" after infection. I want you to do it.
Men suffering from "sequelae" "The problem of lack of understanding is big"
Some people who suffer from the so-called "sequelae" of the new coronavirus say that it is difficult for the company to understand and it is not possible to return to work.
A man in his 40s, who had worked as a driver for a large car, was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia in November when he was infected with the new corona.
He was discharged from the hospital after the symptoms of pneumonia had subsided in about a week, but in the worst case, he had a strong feeling of fatigue and suffocation that he was exhausted just by opening the front door.
In addition, his consciousness became vague, and his daily life began to be affected, such as forgetting what he said immediately or crossing a pedestrian crossing at an intersection where cars come and go without checking the traffic light. I did.
For this reason, he went to the hospital again and was diagnosed with "sequelae" in March last year.
Regarding the situation at that time, the man said, "I think it is impossible to drive a car when the blood becomes heavy like lead, you can not feel like it is flowing all over your body, and you are tired all the time in your head. And I can no longer do what I normally do. "
The man applied for an industrial accident, and in January, the Labor Standards Inspection Office recognized that he was infected due to work, including a leave of absence due to "sequelae".
Currently, the man is receiving compensation for leave of absence, and he is said to have continued treatment and his symptoms have improved little by little.
However, the leave compensation is 80% of the average wage before the leave, and the income remains declining.
The mother who lives with her needs long-term care, and the man borrowed 800,000 yen from the national loan.
I wanted to return to work as soon as possible, so I consulted with the company I work for, but he says that he does not have a sufficient understanding of the ongoing malaise and weakness.
The man said that he wanted to return to work little by little from the driver's assistant, but the company told him that he would be in charge of carrying the cargo.
I explained that it is difficult to continue the work of carrying luggage using the body when symptoms such as malaise appear, but it is said that the company says that if this work is difficult, it is better to change the place of work. increase.
The man said, "I was told by a colleague at work that I was still there, and I felt that there was no one to talk to. I think the problem of lack of understanding is big, and how painful the aftereffects are. I want you to understand even a little. "
Some local governments support returning to work and reemployment
Some local governments are supporting the return to work and reemployment, saying that there are a number of people who lose their jobs or are forced to take leave due to the "sequelae" of the new Corona.
Setagaya-ku, Tokyo has been accepting consultations at the ward window since last month because many people who suffer from the "sequelae" of the new corona are asking for support for returning to work or re-employment.
In order to promote the return to the workplace, the social insurance labor consultant responds to consultations such as reducing the number of work days or making the work less burdensome depending on the symptoms, and the coordination with the workplace is coordinated with the Labor Consultation Information Center in Tokyo. We will work together.
In addition, in order to support reemployment, we are introducing job offers for the desired job types in collaboration with Hello Work.
Even if it is recognized as an industrial accident, some people will have a hard time living due to a decrease in income, so we will cooperate with the Social Insurance Council to introduce national loans.
Even after returning to work, there are many people who are worried about the symptoms of "sequelae" such as malaise because they are not properly understood by the workplace, so we will respond to such consultations.
As a result of a questionnaire survey conducted by Setagaya Ward last December on people who had completed medical treatment for the new corona, about 54% of the 6175 respondents answered that they had sequelae.
In the questionnaire, there were comments such as "I was forced to retire due to sequelae", "I had to quit my job", and "Every time the symptoms of sequelae became worse, I was forced to perform a PCR test at my own expense".
Hisanori Arai, chief of Setagaya Ward, who is in charge of consultation services, said, "I think it is important to prevent patients with sequelae from having troubles by themselves. I would like to provide support for this. "
Expert "Need a mechanism to ask for support"
Last month, a committee established by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which is made up of infectious disease specialists, revised the "medical care guide" for "sequelae" and began to inform medical institutions nationwide.
In this article, we ask doctors who treat patients to cooperate with the company's industrial physicians and personnel and labor personnel to help patients return to work, and introduce specific examples.
For example, in the case of a woman in her 50s who is a salesperson of a department store who continues to have a feeling of malaise and weakness, which seems to be a symptom of "aftereffects," the doctor in charge said, "Long standing work may be a heavy burden on the body. Therefore, for the time being, it is better to take a break and gradually extend the work time about once every two hours. "
In addition, a man in his thirties who works at a major restaurant, Chubo, had a taste disorder and was having trouble with the seasoning of food, so the doctor in charge asked the company to relocate to another job for the first three months. It is reported that he started to resume work after serving ingredients.
In the guide, "post-morbid symptoms" called "sequelae" are generally recovered over time, and the workplace is based on understanding the contents of the work and medical grounds and the person's offer. We are calling on doctors to advise companies in the form of written opinions regarding the procedure for returning to work and consideration for continuing work.
Professor Seiichiro Tateishi of the Disaster Occupational Health Center of the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, who cooperated in writing the guide, said, "There is no doubt that the number of patients is increasing, so it is possible that the number of people who will have difficulty continuing to work due to the effects of their symptoms will increase in the future. Also, I think that there are many people who are suffering without being known to the people around them, so if it is difficult to return to work or get a new job, I think we need a system that can ask for help. "