Mental health and Covid-19 strategies

LONG Covid, suppression v elimination strategy and the mental health crisis in Scotland were the issues raised by newspaper columnists and online media contributors.

The Guardian

Science journalist Laura Spinney said the world was cleaved in two in its response to Covid, with epidemiologist Michael Baker lobbying New Zealand to pursue an elimination strategy.

“On March 23, New Zealand shut down and, seven weeks later, its citizens emerged into a virus-free country,” she said. “The rest of the world is pursuing a mitigation and suppression strategy, according to which we will have to live with Covid-19 and therefore we must learn to manage it – aiming for herd immunity by the most painless route possible.”

She said we won’t know for some time – perhaps decades – which approach was the right one.

“But the more important point is that much of the world failed to even consider elimination at the outset. Can we at least agree elimination should be on the table next time around?”

The Scotsman

MSP Alex Cole-hamilton said the pandemic had wreaked havoc not only on physical health but mental health.

“Isolation is one of the worst contributing factors to poor mental health, and our communities have had that in spades,” he said.

He criticised the long time people face in waiting for treatment for mental health issues, at best 18 weeks. “I hope the declaration of a mental health crisis can focus minds and, crucially, unlock the funding commitments necessary to turning around the scandal of long waiting times and overstretched services,” he added.

“The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. There is a mental health crisis in this country and it’s time the party of government woke up to that.”

The Independent

Caroline Lucas, vice-chairwoman of the All-party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, said the pandemic had not affected people equally and those who suffered the most were those working in essential services such as the NHS and care workers. “Long Covid affects people of all ages, many with no pre-existing conditions,” she said.

“It is estimated that around one in 10 people with Covid-19 will have symptoms that do not resolve themselves over subsequent months.”

She said the group had last week launched its campaign to recognise long Covid as an occupational disease and to set up a compensation scheme for frontline workers suffering from the condition, similar to the Armed Service compensation scheme.

“We owe our frontline staff a huge debt of gratitude” she added. “But words are not enough. As we slowly emerge from this crisis, we cannot abandon frontline workers suffering from the condition.”