Long Covid patients’ help plea
COVID patients suffering from the long-term effects of the virus have demanded urgent action to improve care.
The impacts of long Covid are set out in a report by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) which also highlights the need for action.
Campaigners are calling on the Scottish Government to improve care for people living with the continuing effects of the virus.
Sufferer Lesley Macniven, from Edinburgh, who helped found Long Covid Action Group Scotland, said: “There’s not one clear set of symptoms. People start to think they’re getting better and then they have a major setback.
“People are concerned they’re never going to get their jobs back or even their lives back again – it’s horrible.
“We desperately need rehab and support in place to help us rebuild our lives.”
The NIHR report says there is a need to better understand the symptoms of long Covid.
It concludes: “Support in the community must be considered alongside hospital one-stop clinics due to the nature of ongoing Covid-19.
“Social support needs to be understood together with the financial pressures on previously economically active people.” Thousands of people in Scotland are living with the long-term effects of the virus and many are going without proper help.
Their lives have become a daily battle with anything from breathing problems, anxiety and numbness to fatigue that makes the smallest of tasks a struggle.
The NHS in England has announced a package of £10million to support people with long Covid, including specialist clinics. Now Chest,
Heart and Stroke Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to bring the NHS and charities together to provide a national support service for long Covid survivors.
Jane-Claire Judson, its chief executive, said: “We need to see a full national support service for long Covid in Scotland. People don’t have time to wait. They need help now.”