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Found 455 results
  1. News Article
    The government is to cut special sick pay for NHS staff off work with Covid from next week – even as cases soar – The Independent has learnt. The Department of Health and Social Care is set to announce an end to the enhanced pay arrangements provided during the pandemic, meaning that staff who go off sick with either Covid or Long Covid will be subject to normal sick-pay rules. In response to the pandemic, the government announced special arrangements for staff to be paid if they were isolating because of Covid, and to receive a full 12 months’ pay if they were suffering from Long Covid. Arrangements will now revert to the normal NHS sick-pay rules, which give workers six months’ full pay and six months’ half pay. A senior healthcare source said: “They have agreed to end the arrangement for new people from next week, and then have an implementation period where people who are currently off on this sort of scheme revert back to normal sick-pay entitlement from September.” The Royal College of Nursing’s director for England, Patricia Marquis, speaking about the cut in sick pay, said: “This decision is hugely disappointing, given that Covid-19 clearly hasn’t gone away, and nursing staff continue to be disproportionately affected by the virus as they face a higher risk of exposure." Read full story Source: The Independent, 2 July 2022
  2. News Article
    Last year, Diana Berrent—the founder of Survivor Corps, a US Long COVID support group—asked the group’s members if they’d ever had thoughts of suicide since developing Long Covid. About 18% of people who responded said they had, a number much higher than the 4% of the general US adult population that has experienced recent suicidal thoughts. A few weeks ago, Berrent posed the same question to current members of her group. This time, of the nearly 200 people who responded, 45% said they’d contemplated suicide. While her poll was small and informal, the results point to a serious problem. “People are suffering in a way that I don’t think the general public understands,” Berrent says. “Not only are people mourning the life that they thought they were going to have, they are in excruciating pain with no answers.” Long Covid, a chronic condition that affects millions of Americans who’ve had COVID-19, often looks nothing like acute COVID-19. Sufferers report more than 200 symptoms affecting nearly every part of the body, including the neurologic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems. The condition ranges in severity, but many so-called “long-haulers” are unable to work, go to school, or leave their homes with any sort of consistency. Long COVID can also be incredibly painful, and research has linked chronic physical pain to an increased risk of suicide. Nick Güthe has been trying to spread that message since his wife, Heidi Ferrer, died by suicide in 2021 after living with Long Covid symptoms for about a year. Among her most disruptive symptoms, Güthe says, were foot pain that prevented her from walking comfortably, tremors, and vibrating sensations in her chest that kept her from sleeping. “My wife didn’t kill herself because she was depressed,” Güthe says. “She killed herself because she was in excruciating physical pain.” Read full story Source: Time. 13 June 2022
  3. News Article
    Health boards are avoiding publicising their Long Covid services to avoid a rush of patients, an expert has claimed. Edward Duncan, a professor of applied health research, has been evaluating rehabilitation services in Scotland for the past eight months. The latest ONS figures showed 155,000 Scots had long lasting Covid symptoms. Prof Duncan said the current situation was contributing to a "trickle" of patients accessing treatment in some regions. He is working with Robert Gordon University, the University of Dundee and Long Covid sufferers to work out the best way to maximise recovery and quality of life for patients. It comes after patient groups accused the health service and government ministers of pretending the illness has disappeared. Prof Duncan said: "Staff in some health boards have said to us that they are purposely not publicising the pathway, because they fear that if they do, they will have so many referrals that they will not be able to meet demand." "There is a lack of proactive publicity, despite the fact that in late 2020 every health board said that these services were there for patients who need them." "We know from other research that patients are going to primary care and being told by their GP that they don't know where to send them." Read full story Source: BBC News, 14 June 2022
  4. News Article
    Doctors who worked on the frontline during the pandemic and have been left with long Covid say they have been denied financial support by the UK government, with some left with little option but to sell their house. Months or even years after an initial Covid infection some people continue to have symptoms, from fatigue to brain fog. According to the Office for National Statistics, as of 1 May an estimated 2 million people in the UK reported having long Covid, as the condition is known. Now healthcare staff in the UK have told the Guardian that despite being left with serious impairments as a result of long Covid, they have been turned down for personal independence payment (Pip), a non means-tested benefit helping people with the extra living costs of their chronic illness or disability. One respiratory consultant revealed they had been refused Pip despite reporting to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that they had urinary incontinence, were unable to be on their feet for more than five to 10 minutes without a rest, and had difficulties preparing food, eating, washing, dressing or engaging with people face to face, among other problems. Speaking anonymously, as their application is under mandatory reconsideration, the consultant said they contracted Covid while working on a coronavirus ward in November 2020 and first applied for Pip in June 2021 after developing long Covid, which has left them unable to work. “I thought that I had illustrated quite clearly what my disability was,” they said. “When I got the report back, I thought ‘is this about me?’” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 13 June 2022
  5. News Article
    Patients with long Covid are facing a postcode lottery across the UK when it comes to getting care, nurses say. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said treatment varied hugely with some services treating it as a physical condition, but others as psychological. The union also highlighted long waits in parts of England, which has a network of specialist clinics. It warned that patients in Scotland and Wales may be missing out because of a lack of dedicated clinics. Speaking at the RCN's conference in Glasgow, nurses said they had seen first-hand how debilitating the symptoms could be. Nearly half of patients referred to specialist services are aged 35 to 54. Jo Strucke, a mental health nurse who works in a specialist service in Yorkshire, said: "Some of our patients have really complex physical health problems and their lives have been transformed. "They may be unable to work, socialise and do things they previously enjoyed." Helen Donovan, the RCN's public health lead, added: "As nursing staff we see first-hand how life-limiting long Covid can be." But she said: "There aren't enough specialist services to meet growing demand and the help patients get varies hugely across the country." Read full story Source: BBC News, 7 June 2022
  6. News Article
    Few of the 23 million Americans with lingering symptoms are getting answers – in this dangerous void, alternative providers and wellness companies have created a cottage industry of Long Covid miracle cures. Some doctors ply controversial blood tests that claim to identify evidence of the elusive disease. Other practitioners speak assuredly about the benefits of skipping breakfast and undergoing ozone therapy, or how zinc can bring back loss of taste or smell. Some desperate patients have gone overseas for controversial stem cell therapy. Over the next seven years, the global complementary and alternative medicine industry is expected to quadruple in value; analysts cite alternative Covid therapies as a reason for growth. Robert McCann, a 44-year-old political strategist from Lansing, Michigan, sleeps for 15 hours – and when he wakes up, he still finds it impossible to get out of bed. Sometimes he wakes up so confused that he’s unsure what day it is. McCann tested positive for Covid in July 2020. He had mild symptoms that resolved within about a week. But a few months later, pain, general confusion and debilitating exhaustion returned and never fully left. He says he’s skeptical of “miracle cures”. But, after about 17 months of illness and no relief from doctor’s visits, he’s desperate. “I’ll just be frank,” he told me, “if someone has mentioned on the Subreddit that it’s helped them, I’ve probably bought it and tried it.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 2 June 2022
  7. News Article
    More than three years into the Covid pandemic, there are a host of important unanswered questions about Long Covid, which significantly limit healthcare providers’ ability to treat patients with the condition, according to US physicians and scientists. That vacuum of information remains as much of the US has moved on from the pandemic, while Covid long-haulers continue to face stigma and questions over whether their symptoms are real, providers say. “We don’t quite have our finger on the pulse of what’s wrong, what biologically is causing it, and that’s a big problem,” said Dr Marc Sala, co-director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Covid-19 Center. “It’s hard to direct drugs or treatments without having the biological underpinnings for why someone is feeling so fatigued with exercise.” In addition to the ambiguity around the root causes of Long Covid, there are also challenges in research because of how Covid can produce so many different symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list includes fatigue, respiratory issues and difficulty thinking or concentrating but also states that “post-Covid conditions may not affect everyone the same way”. “Everyone has a different constellation of symptoms,” said Dr Steven Deeks, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. “Some people get better over time, some people wax and wane, some people get worse,” and so it is difficult for researchers to determine when a study should end and compare a drug versus a placebo. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 6 March 2023
  8. News Article
    Thousands of NHS staff across the UK are facing pay cuts because of a change in Covid sickness policy. Analysis by BBC Panorama suggests that between 5,000 and 10,000 NHS workers could be off sick with Long Covid. Unions are accusing the government of failing to support health staff who worked during the coronavirus pandemic. The government says the Covid-19 public inquiry will examine these issues when it begins taking evidence in May. Changes to special sick pay rules introduced during the pandemic mean that some NHS staff unable to work due to Long Covid may soon no longer receive full pay. Enhanced provision ended last year. Many had a six-month transition, so expect their wages to go down soon. Some face losing their jobs. Professor David Strain is the chair of the Board of Science at the British Medical Association (BMA) and says this makes him "genuinely angry". He explains: "We've got a group of people that have put themselves forward to look after the population, they've been left with an illness and they're not being supported. "They're just in a no man's land." He believes that health workers with long Covid should be allowed to focus on their recovery without money worries. Read full story Source: BBC News, 30 January 2023
  9. News Article
    NHS England has shelved priorities on Long Covid and diversity and inclusion – as well as a wide range of other areas – in its latest slimmed down operational planning guidance, HSJ analysis shows. NHSE published its planning guidance for 2023-24, which sets the national “must do” asks of trust and integrated care systems, shortly before Christmas. HSJ has analysed objectives, targets and asks from the 2022-23 planning guidance which do not appear in the 2023-24 document. The measures on which trusts and systems will no longer be held accountable for include improving the service’s black, Asian and minority ethnic disparity ratio by “delivering the six high-impact actions to overhaul recruitment and promotion practices”. Another omission from the 2023-24 guidance compared to 2022-23 is a target to increase the number of patients referred to post-Covid services, who are then seen within six weeks of their referral. Several requirements on staff have been removed, including to ”continue to support the health and wellbeing of our staff, including through effective health and wellbeing conversations” and ”continued funding of mental health hubs to enable staff access to enhanced occupational health and wellbeing and psychological support”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 4 January 2022
  10. News Article
    NHS trusts in England lost more than a million working days to long-Covid absences last year, analysis suggests. Thousands of doctors, nurses and other health professionals have been forced to take long periods off work because of the lingering effects of coronavirus infection. Data released to the all-party parliamentary group on coronavirus suggests that long-Covid absences are now higher than they were a year ago. Layla Moran, who chairs the group, said: “Long Covid has upended the lives of millions and these figures suggest that the deeply damaging impact it is having on our economy and public services is only getting worse.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 19 December 2022
  11. News Article
    Many people with Long Covid have a lower health-related quality of life than people with some advanced cancers, research suggests. Fatigue is the symptom with the greatest impact on the daily lives of Long Covid patients, according to a study led by researchers at University College London (UCL) and the University of Exeter. They found that many were seriously ill and had fatigue scores worse than or similar to people with cancer-related anaemia or severe kidney disease. Their health-related quality of life scores were also lower than those of people with advanced metastatic cancers, such as stage 4 lung cancer. Overall, the impact of long Covid on the daily activities of patients was worse than that for stroke patients and comparable to people with Parkinson’s disease. The study co-author Prof William Henley, of Exeter University medical school, said: “Long Covid is an invisible condition, and many people are left trying to manage significant changes to how they can function. “Shockingly, our research has revealed that Long Covid can leave people with worse fatigue and quality of life than some cancers, yet the support and understanding is not at the same level. We urgently need more research to enable the development of evidence-based services to support people trying to manage this debilitating new condition.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 8 June 2023
  12. News Article
    A proposed exercise trial for Long Covid is being criticised by some of the patients the government-funded researchers want to study. The trial is part of the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) initiative, funded by the US government for $1.15 billion over four years. It aims to study Long Covid and help find treatments for the millions of people experiencing a range of long-lasting symptoms, including extreme fatigue, brain fog and shortness of breath. The exercise study protocol has not been finalised, but it will test physical therapy at different intensity levels, tailored to the patient’s capabilities, and aim to improve endurance, said Adrian Hernandez, executive director of Duke Clinical Research Institute. Some Long Covid advocates, however, say that any exercise trial could be potentially dangerous for long-covid patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. Studies show that people with ME/CFS don’t have the same response to physical exertion as healthy individuals, and many ME/CFS patients report a worsening of symptoms after even small amounts of activity. This crash is called post-exertional malaise. Advocates now worry that Long Covid patients with ME/CFS could be similarly harmed if they take part in any exercise study. Read full story (paywalled) Source: Washington Post, 22 May 2023 Further reading on the hub: Understanding Covid-19 as a vascular disease and its implications for exercise
  13. News Article
    Social Beats, a networking platform for those living with Long Covid, has been launched by free social community service Biocomm, allowing people to exchange health information from trusted sources, share experiences and interact with other people with Long Covid. The goal of the platform is to help connect those living with Long Covid so that they can receive and provide emotional and social support to others in the same position. The platform is the brainchild of BiocommAI and is sponsored by InnoMedica and Normax Biomed. Peter Jensen, CEO and chairman of Normax, said: “Community is key for anyone dealing with an illness or long-term condition. Biocomm.net is a safe space for people affected by Long Covid – a platform designed to help people living with the condition to connect with others and to build a better life. “We have recognised that Long Covid has impacted people in many ways and now is the time to help them by enabling them to connect, learn and share knowledge.” Read full story Source: Digital Health, 22 May 2023
  14. News Article
    A national Long Covid and Covid-19 database is among the key recommendations of a unanimous report released by an Australian parliamentary Committee for its inquiry into Long Covid and repeated Covid infections. The House of Representative’s Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport’s report aims to improve Australia’s response to Long Covid, an often-debilitating condition possibly affecting hundreds of thousands of Australians. The Chair of the Committee, Dr Mike Freelander MP said: ‘It is clear that the emergence of Long Covid has created challenges for patients and health care professionals alike. People with Long Covid suffer from a lack of information and treatment options. Health care professionals, who worked tirelessly over the acute phase of the pandemic, are now in a difficult situation trying to support patients with this new and poorly understood condition.’ The Committee made nine unanimous recommendations aimed at strengthening the Australian Government’s management of Long Covid, including regarding: A definition of long COVID for use in Australia Evidence-based living guidelines for long COVID, co-designed with patients with lived experience A nationally coordinated research program for long COVID and COVID-19 The COVID-19 vaccination communication strategy Access to antiviral treatments for COVID-19 Support for primary healthcare providers Indoor air quality and ventilation. Read full story Source: Parliament of Australia, 24 April 2023
  15. News Article
    UK ministers should act to ensure Long Covid sufferers receive the support they need from employers, with as many as two-thirds claiming they have been unfairly treated at work, a report argues. The report, from the TUC and the charity Long Covid Support, warns that failing to accommodate the 2m people who, according to ONS data, may be suffering from long Covid in the UK will create, “new, long-lasting inequalities”. The analysis is based on responses from more than 3,000 long Covid sufferers who agreed to share their experiences. Two-thirds said they had experienced some form of unfair treatment at work, ranging from harassment to being disbelieved about their symptoms or threatened with disciplinary action. One in seven said they had lost their job. The report makes a series of recommendations, including urging the government to designate Long Covid as a disability for the purposes of the 2010 Equality Act, to make clear sufferers are entitled to “reasonable adjustments” at work; and to classify Covid-19 as an occupational disease to allow people who contracted it through their job to seek compensation. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 27 March 2023
  16. Content Article
    The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown a spotlight on the treatment of NHS staff and their perceived value to their employers.  An estimated two million people in the UK have Long Covid, including many thousands of NHS workers, so why do we hear so little about it? In this BMJ article, a doctor in the NHS who has Long Covid explains why he is disappointed by the collective silence and the lack of protections and support mechanisms in place.
  17. Content Article
    In this blog, US family doctor Lisa Baron highlights the role that social media has played in exposing how patients, particularly women, are dismissed and gaslighted by healthcare professionals, resulting in delayed diagnosis, deterioration and trauma. She talks about her own experience of having her symptoms and concerns dismissed by her GP, which led to a two-year delay in being diagnosed with coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome. She goes on to talk about her experience of Long Covid and how her symptoms were dismissed and not taken seriously in spite of the life-limiting nature of her condition. She raises concerns that Long Covid patients are turning to unqualified practitioners offering untested, ineffective and expensive treatments as they are not being taken seriously by mainstream healthcare systems.
  18. Content Article
    Health workers, hailed as heroes during the pandemic, say they’re being abandoned by the NHS and the government. Some are living with Long Covid and say it’s having a devastating impact on both their personal and professional lives. For Panorama, the BBC’s health correspondent, Catherine Burns, meets staff struggling to return to work and reveals how some are now facing financial hardship and the prospect of having to retire early or, worse, being sacked.
  19. Content Article
    Young people from across the UK reflect on how the pandemic is still affecting their lives and their plans for the future, 18 months after the end of the third national lockdown.
  20. Content Article
    This article in iNews looks at a major new study in The BMJ by researchers in Israel which suggests that symptoms of Long Covid end within a year in most people with the condition. The study looked at information on a number of symptoms linked to Long Covid, including loss of taste and smell, breathing problems, concentration and memory issues, weakness, palpitations and dizziness. The research also demonstrated the role of Covid vaccines in improving outcomes for people with Long Covid. However, the article also highlights cautions from experts who note that people who got Long Covid after a more serious case of the virus were not included in the study, and their symptoms typically last longer than for those who got the condition after a mild infection. The authors also highlight that these results do not match up with the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). According to the ONS, 57% people reporting symptoms in December 2022 said that they had had long Covid symptoms for at least one year, with 30 per cent reporting that symptoms had lasted for at least two years.
  21. Content Article
    It is estimated that at least 65 million people worldwide have Long Covid. This research paper, published by Nature Reviews Microbiology, explores the current knowledge base of Long COVID as well as misconceptions surrounding long COVID and areas where additional research is needed.
  22. Content Article
    NHS England has published its planning guidance for 2023/2023. The 2023/24 priorities and operational planning guidance reconfirms the ongoing need to recover our core services and improve productivity, making progress in delivering the key NHS Long Term Plan ambitions and continuing to transform the NHS for the future.
  23. Content Article
    A Channel 5 News investigation has found nearly three quarters of people getting help for Long Covid weren't given a face-to-face appointment. It's estimated 2.1 million UK people have the condition. A Long Covid hauler herself, 5 News reporter Ruth Liptrot looks at where we're at with finding a treatment.
  24. Content Article
    Roughly 16 million Americans are living with Long Covid, but many are not getting the right medical care. In this article in Popular Science, Miles Griffis argues that one way to improve the system is by letting patients lead. He describes his own disabling case of Long Covid, the issues he has faced in gaining access to Long Covid clinics and the lack of treatment options available to him. He argues that at some point, the demand from patients for treatment will force progress in Long Covid research.
  25. Content Article
    This article in Science News looks at the impact of the growing global burden of Long Covid during 2022. It describes "a tidal wave of people with lingering symptoms—some mild, some profoundly disabling" which has commanded the attention of researchers and doctors, who are still looking for answers on how to diagnose and treat Long Covid. The article also highlights risk factors, symptoms and the need to focus on people whose lives are most severely restricted by the condition.
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