Johnson urged to act on ‘untold human suffering’ of long Covid

THE PRIME Minister is facing calls to take into account the “untold human suffering” of long Covid and seek to limit coronavirus’s spread as he eases lockdown restrictions.

A cross-party group of more than 65 MPs and peers criticised Boris Johnson for having “largely overlooked” the long-term effect of the disease during the pandemic.

And they said it would be “unforgivable to make the same mistake again” as he eases England’s third lockdown, allowing for the potential for the prevalence of the virus to rise once again.

It is estimated that more than a million people in the UK are suffering with the extended effects of a coronavirus infection.

The Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has noted that while vaccinations are expected to keep deaths down, it is unclear whether they will have an impact on long Covid.

The group of politicians, including Tory MP Dr Dan Poulter, issued the fresh warning in a letter to the Prime Minister.

“The impact of this condition and the untold human suffering it causes must be properly taken into account when decisions are being made to lift restrictions and introduce long-term measures to contain the spread of the virus,” they said.

“Those suffering from long Covid were largely overlooked during the first and second waves in this pandemic.

“Given what we now know about this condition, it would be unforgivable to make the same mistake again.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock cited the dangers of long Covid yesterday as a reason why young people should come forward for a vaccine even if they have concerns of side effects.

“I would say that the risk of severe consequences from long Covid are very significant for young people,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“The likelihood of you getting long Covid is more or less the same in all age groups and can be debilitating, it can impact your mental health, it can make it very difficult to do any physical activity for months.”

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who arranged the letter and chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, noted the Prime Minister has promised to be “guided by data not dates”.

“That must include publishing regular figures on long Covid cases and factoring them into the Government’s road map out of the current lockdown,” she added.

The calls comes as figures released yesterday showed that Barnsley has the second highest infection rate in England, after Corby in Northamptonshire, with 262 new cases in the seven days to April 4, at a rate of 106.1 new cases per 100,000 people.

Wakefield is the third highest, with 100.2 per 100,000 and 349 new cases. However both have seen their figures fall from the previous week.

Those suffering from long Covid were largely overlooked. Tory MP Dr Dan Poulter.