Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘Long covid’ is
Health Minister ‘undermined
COVID know-it-alls refusing to stick to the rules are giving the rest of us a “two-fingered salute”, Robin Swann warned last night.
The Health Minister spoke of a “wilful complacency” on the part of many who refuse to wear masks in shops and follow measures aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.
He spoke out as Stormont science expert Prof Ian Young warned we are just weeks away from hospital admission levels not seen since the “first wave” of the pandemic.
And Prof Young also issued his own warning to people who believe the virus is little worse than a flu.
Interviews with people who have left hospital three months previously show that 70% are still suffering from symptoms including “brain fog” which can affect concentration, he added.
Even ten per cent of people who did not require hospital admission complain of long term effects.
Other symptoms now being discovered are inflammation of the lining of blood vessels, the
Chief Scientific Adviser said. Mr Swann said 106 Covid-19 patients were in hospital but warned that appeals to follow health advice may be falling on too many deaf ears and being undermined by too many selfappointed experts.
A month ago, he added, there were 16 Covid patients in hospital.
Mr Swann said: “It is what I would call wilful complacency. It is a two-fingered salute to the rest of us, to the medically vulnerable and to our health workers.
“These minority have decided the risk to them personally is probably low, that they can just get on with their lives.”
Large numbers of cases in Newry and Down may be showing recent signs of f “stabilising”, Prof f Young said.
The reproductive rate of the virus is at around 1.5, explaining the large increase in cases and hospital admissions.
Prof Young said the number of admissions to hospital took off in the middle of last month and the tally of inpatients was doubling every week.
He added patient numbers could equal those seen during the first wave of the pandemic within two or three weeks.
P r o f Yo u n g explained: “At the moment, the seven-day rolling average of new cases per day is