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Found 263 results
  1. Content Article
    Around 5–10% of people with Covid infections go on to experience Long Covid, with symptoms lasting three months or more. Researchers have proposed several biological mechanisms to explain Long Covid. However, in a perspective article published in the latest Medical Journal of Australia, the authors argue that much, if not all, Long Covid appears to be driven by the virus itself persisting in the body. Since relatively early in the pandemic, there has been a recognition that in some people, SARS-CoV-2 – or at least remnants of the virus – could stay in various tissues and organs for extended periods. This theory is known as “viral persistence”. While the long-term presence of residual viral fragments in some people’s bodies is now well established, what remains less certain is whether live virus itself, not just old bits of virus, is lingering – and if so, whether this is what causes long COVID. This distinction is crucial because live virus can be targeted by specific antiviral approaches in ways that “dead” viral fragments cannot. Viral persistence has two significant implications: when it occurs in some highly immunocompromised people, it is thought to be the source of new and substantially different-looking variants, such as JN.1 it has the potential to continue to cause symptoms in many people in the wider population long beyond the acute illness. In other words, long COVID could be caused by a long infection.
  2. News Article
    Healthcare workers with Long Covid say the government needs to do more to support those left with life-changing disabilities since catching the virus. Nurse Rachel Hext, 37 from Paignton, insisted she caught Covid in her job as a nurse in a small community hospital in Devon. "We were clapped and called heroes, and now those of us who have been bereaved or disabled by it have been forgotten," she said. The government said it knew Long Covid could have a debilitating impact on people's physical and mental health, that there was a "range of support for staff" and it was funding research into it. Mrs Hext is one of a group of healthcare workers with long Covid who have taken their fight to the High Court to try to sue the NHS and other employers for compensation. The staff, from England and Wales, said they believed they first caught Covid at work during the pandemic and said they were not properly protected from the virus. She said: "I want acknowledgement and I want support for the people who need it. "Long Covid is absolutely life-changing. It's devastated us as a family." Read full story Source: BBC News, 20 March 2025 Related reading on the hub: "Forgotten heroes" – the sequel: a blog and resources from David Osborn The pandemic – questions around Government governance: a blog from David Osborn Healthcare workers with Long Covid: Group litigation
  3. Content Article
    The aim of the Long Covid webinar held on 5 July 2023 was to discuss where we are now with Long Covid clinics and research. The presentation videos from the webinar can be accessed from the link below.
  4. Content Article
    Some of the same people that noted surgical masks were useless for airborne viruses also made decisions to limit the use of effective respirator masks: a decision that had devastating ramifications when the pandemic struck. In this article in the Byline Times, Josiah Mortimer delves deeper into a hub blog written by David Osborn: 'The pandemic – questions around Government governance' and questions the decisions made by the Government during the pandemic.
  5. Content Article
    In a new Lancet Respiratory Medicine Series about Long Covid, Sally J Singh and colleagues discuss the origins of respiratory sequelae and consider the promise of adapted pulmonary rehabilitation programmes and physiotherapy techniques for breathing management. Pratik Pandharipande and colleagues review the epidemiology and pathophysiology of neuropsychological sequelae of COVID-19-related critical illness, highlighting the combined threat of long COVID and post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), and outline potential mitigation strategies. Finally, Matteo Parotto and colleagues discuss pathophysiological mechanisms of diverse, multisystem sequelae in adult survivors of critical illness, including longitudinal effects of endothelial and immune system dysfunction, and consider the challenges of providing appropriate care and support for patients.
  6. Content Article
    A significant number of doctors and other healthcare workers have developed post-acute COVID, including a large number who developed it as a result of workplace exposure to Covid-19. This paper examines the impact post-acute Covid symptoms have had on the medical workforce, personally and professionally. It provides a unique and valuable insight into the experience of UK doctors suffering from post-acute Covid. It has been informed by a UK survey of over 600 doctors suffering from the continuing effects of an infection with Covid-19, as well as wider research of the issues. The survey was undertaken by the British Medical Association (BMA) in partnership with Long COVID Doctors for Action. This is the first comprehensive survey of doctors with post-acute Covid health complications. This paper should inform the support needed by current sufferers of post-acute COVID in the NHS workforce, and help protect services and patients now and in the future. Recommendations The Department of Work and Pensions must act without delay on current IIAC (Industrial Injuries Advisory Council) recommendations for the specific circumstances where Long COVID should be recognised as an occupational disease for healthcare workers. Alongside this, there must be investment in research to support the additional designation as an occupational disease of the broader range of post-acute COVID symptoms this report shows are highly prevalent among sufferers. UK Government must urgently develop a package of financial support for doctors and healthcare workers with post-acute COVID. Health and Safety Executive must provide clear guidance to health service employers on the legal requirements to carry out risk assessments and report instances of infection under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). The Department of Health and Social Care must ensure funding is allocated for appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and RPE (Respiratory Protective Equipment) in health and care services to ensure staff are protected. UK health services must increase access and improve waiting times to post-acute COVID care such as NHS COVID clinics. UK health services must ensure care for those with post-acute COVID, such as that delivered through NHS COVID clinics, is multidisciplinary and offers access to both physical and mental healthcare. Health education bodies across the UK must fund increased occupational medicine training posts. UK health service employers must prioritise timely access to occupational health services and assessments for staff with post-acute COVID. UK health service employers must promote greater awareness amongst managers of the needs of staff with post-acute COVID and support measures required. UK governments and health systems must ensure health service estates are safe for staff and that the risk of infection from infectious diseases, like COVID-19, is reduced, including ensuring improved and appropriate ventilation.
  7. Content Article
    Unable to work or to play with their children, forced to sell their homes or facing insolvency—doctors with Long Covid deserve more support from the government and the NHS, writes Adele Waters in this BMJ article. The BMA has joined forces with the Long Covid Doctors for Action and they have set out five demands: Financial support for doctors and healthcare staff with post-acute covid. Post-acute covid to be recognised as an occupational disease in healthcare workers, with a definition that covers all the debilitating symptoms that people with post-acute covid experience. Improved access to physical and mental health services to aid comprehensive assessment, appropriate investigations, and treatment. Greater workplace protection for healthcare staff risking their lives for others. Better support for post-acute covid sufferers to return to work safely, including a flexible approach to the use of workplace adjustments. You may also be interested in: The pandemic – questions around Government governance: a blog from David Osborn "Forgotten heroes" – the sequel: a blog and resources from David Osborn My experience of suspected 'Long COVID' How will NHS staff with Long Covid be supported?
  8. News Article
    Nearly four years since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, you could be forgiven for believing the pandemic is behind us. But for many, it feels far from over. Close to two million people face a daily battle with debilitating symptoms of Long Covid – the lasting symptoms of the virus that remain after the infection is gone – with some now housebound, unable to walk and even partially blind. Alan Chambers, 49, is among those who have been grappling with the illness for years, having caught coronavirus in March 2020. Mr Chambers went from being “a fit, healthy, working member of the community who would do anything to help anyone” to being “ill and isolated in our bedroom”, blind in one eye and no longer able to walk unaided, his wife Vicki said. As of March, an estimated 1.9 million people in the UK have experienced coronavirus symptoms for more than four weeks, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. Of those, 1.5 million reported the condition had adversely affected their day-to-day activities. It comes as coronavirus case rates have shown an overall increase since July, with fears the approaching winter will bring a further surge in infections. Yet in May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared that coronavirus no longer represents a global health emergency, which was seen as a symbolic step towards the end of the pandemic. Dr Jo House, founding member and health advocacy lead at Long Covid Support, said the advocacy group now has 62,000 members, with about 250 more people joining every month. “In their words, they feel ‘forgotten, unheard, disbelieved, isolated, unemployed, disabled, immobile’. NHS England admitted to The Independent that access to necessary support, treatment and care for Long Covid patients is still lacking. It said there was “still more to do to ensure support is there for everyone who needs it”, so that patients requiring specialist assessment and treatment for Long Covid can access care in a timely way. Read full story Source: The Independent, 29 November 2023
  9. News Article
    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), announced nine grant awards of $1 million each for up to 5 years to support existing multidisciplinary Long COVID clinics across the country to expand access to comprehensive, coordinated, and person-centered care for people with Long COVID, particularly underserved, rural, vulnerable, and minority populations that are disproportionately impacted by the effects of Long COVID. The grants are a first of their kind. They are designed to expand access and care, develop, and implement new or improved care delivery models, foster best practices for Long COVID management, and support the primary care community in Long COVID education. This initiative is part of the Biden-Harris Administration's whole-government effort to accelerate scientific progress and provide individuals with Long COVID the support and services they need. “The Biden-Harris Administration is supporting patients, doctors and caregivers by providing science-based best practices for treating long COVID, maintaining access to insurance coverage, and protecting the rights of workers as they return to jobs while coping with the uncertainties of their illness,” said Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Treatment of Long COVID is a major focus for HHS, and AHRQ is helping lead the way through grants to investigate best practices and get useful guidance to doctors, hospitals, and patients.” Read full story Source: AHRQ, 20 September 2023
  10. Content Article
    This podcast series from Julie Taylor aims to raise awareness of Long Covid, provide a platform of support, education and the lived experience. Julie is a registered nurse in the UK and became unwell with Covid in May 2020 while working on the frontline, during the first wave of the pandemic. She now lives with Long Covid and POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). In this podcast series, Julie shares her journey and lived experience, the symptoms and how each impacts daily life, not only the physical issues but also the impact this has had mentally and emotionally.
  11. Content Article
    In this blog, published by the World Health Organization, we hear about one family's experience of long Covid. Claire Hastie and her children are yet to recover and continue to experience numerous debilitating symptoms that prevent them from taking part in their pre-covid occupations.  WHO/Europe has also been working with patient groups to define priority areas where action is needed. It is now calling upon governments and authorities to focus attention on long COVID and its sufferers through greater: recognition: all services must be adequately equipped, and no patient should be left alone or have to struggle to navigate through a system that is not prepared to, or not capable of, recognizing this very debilitating condition;  research and reporting: data gathering and reporting of cases, and well-coordinated research with full participation of patients, are needed to advance understanding of the prevalence, causes and costs of long COVID; and  rehabilitation: this cost-effective intervention is an investment in building back healthy and productive societies.
  12. Content Article
    The Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact heavily on all our lives and one of the long-lasting, but unanticipated, impacts is the emergence of Long Covid. Whilst many people infected by Covid-19 may fully recover, significant numbers will experience varied, ongoing and debilitating symptoms that last weeks, months or years following the initial infection. This prolonged condition has been given the umbrella term Long Covid. Recognition of Long Covid was accelerated by people-led advocacy groups such Long Covid Support. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) reported that, as of 1 August 2021, 970,000 people in the UK were experiencing self-reported Long Covid. The most recent data from 2 January 2023, shows that this has increased to 2 million people This report summarises the findings of a self-selecting survey of 3,097 people with Long Covid in September and October 2022 on their experiences of work. The TUC and Long Covid Support Employment Group are calling for the government to urgently introduce a range of measures including: Ensure everyone with Long Covid is recognised as disabled under the Equality Act. Many people with Long Covid will already get the protections under the Act but extending Equality Act 2010 protections would ensure everyone is protected by law and entitled to reasonable adjustments that remove, reduce or prevent any disadvantages workers with Long Covid face. This would be decisive action from government to protect those facing the long-term health consequences of the pandemic. Recognising Covid-19 as an occupational disease. This would entitle employees and their dependents to protection and compensation if they contracted the virus while working. Greater flexibility in all jobs. There should be a duty on employers to list the possible flexible working options for each job when it is advertised. And all workers should have a day one right to work flexibly – not just the right to ask – unless the employer can properly justify why this is not possible. Workers should have the right to appeal any rejections. And there shouldn’t be a limit on how many times a worker can ask for flexible working arrangements in a single year. Guidance for employers. The Equality and Human Rights Commission should urgently produce detailed guidance for employers on Long Covid and the types of reasonable adjustments people may need.
  13. News Article
    Nearly 70 healthcare workers with Long Covid will take their fight to the High Court later to sue the NHS and other employers for compensation. The staff, from England and Wales, believe they first caught Covid at work during the pandemic and say they were not properly protected from the virus. Many of them say they are left with life-changing disabilities and are likely to lose income as a result. The Department of Health said "there are lessons to be learnt" from Covid. The group believe they were not provided with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) at work, which includes eye protection, gloves, gowns and aprons. In particular, they say they should have had access to high-grade masks, which help block droplets in the air from patient's coughs and sneezes which can contain the Covid virus. But the masks they were given tended to be in line with national guidance. Rachel Hext, who is 36, has always insisted that she caught Covid in her job as a nurse in a small community hospital in Devon. "It's devastating. I live an existence rather than a life. It prevents me doing so much of what I want to do. And it's been four years." Her list of long Covid symptoms includes everything from brain fog and extreme fatigue to nerve damage, and deafness in one ear. Solicitor Kevin Digby, who represents more than 60 members of the group, describes their case as "very important". He says: "It's quite harrowing. These people really have been abandoned, and they are really struggling to fight to get anything. "Now, they can take it to court and hope that they can get some compensation for the injuries that they've suffered." Read full story Source: BBC News, 6 March 2024 Related reading on the hub: Healthcare workers with Long Covid: Group litigation – a blog from David Osborn The pandemic – questions around Government governance: a blog from David Osborn
  14. Event
    This Westminster conference will discuss the future for Long Covid research, services, and care. It will be an opportunity to assess Long Covid: the NHS plan for improving Long Covid services and how its ambitions for improving access to services, patient experience and outcomes for patients can be achieved. Further sessions examine priorities for research and improving understanding of Long Covid, looking at implementing the latest developments in research to improve services, and the long-term health implications of Long Covid. There will also be discussion on addressing concerns around inequalities, capacity and wait times for Long Covid services, as well as the primary care referral system, and utilisation of investment. Sessions in the agenda include: latest developments: trends - key issues - assessing the NHS plan for improving long COVID services. clinical research: taking forward the understanding of Long Covid - advancing clinical trials - utilising data - funding and investment. improving patient outcomes, prediction and prevention - accelerating the development of effective treatments - areas for focus, such as cardiology. examining the increased risk of long-term health conditions and impacts of reinfection for Long Covid patients. improving specialist Long Covid services: progress made so far and priorities for moving forward. options for increasing capacity - addressing inequalities in provision, access to services and information - applying latest developments from research. children’s Long Covid services: assessing delivery - implications for child development and attainment. primary care: tackling key challenges for diagnosis and referral. the workforce: priorities for education and training - support for long COVID patients in the workforce. Register
  15. Event
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    Long COVID Physio will host the Long COVID Physio International Forum in partnership with Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions and Fisiocamera, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and Realize Canada. The two day online forum will bring the lived experience to Long COVID, disability and rehabilitation. The Long COVID Physio International Forum is suitable for any audience, including health and social care professionals, people living with or affected by Long COVID or other conditions, academics, service providers, policymakers, students of allied health and rehabilitation professions, and people wanting to learn more. The Long COVID Physio International Forum programme will be released soon. Programme content will be delivered live and available on demand, covering three different streams: Science - learn the most up to date research from leaders in the field. Discussion - the hot discussions and debates on the topics we all want. Workshop - share knowledge and skills that make a difference. Registration will open June 15th 2022. Further details can be found here.
  16. Event
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    The UK may have now past the worse of the pandemic, but the burden of Long Covid is only going to intensify in the weeks and months ahead. Estimates suggest that well over a million people are suffering from the condition, nearly half of whom have struggled with persistent symptoms for at least a year. Many will have developed Long Covid after the recent Omicron wave, which fuelled millions of weekly infections over the Christmas period. Yet support and treatment for these individuals has been in short supply. The NHS’ dedicated long Covid clinics have struggled to cope with high demand from patients, who feel neglected and ignored by the health system. Some ‘long haulers,’ as they’re known, have come together to form support groups and have regularly petitioned the government for more help and recognition of their plight. Despite the many challenges that lie ahead, there is some hope on the horizon: scientists are starting to make progress in better understanding long Covid and closing in on some of the biggest questions surrounding the condition. To discuss all of these themes, join out expert panel hosted by The Independent's Health Correspondent Rebecca Thomas and Science Correspondent Samuel Lovett, with Dr Elaine Maxwell, Professor Amitava Banerjee and Professor Brendan Delaney. Register
  17. Event
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    The next NHS England and NHS Improvement wellbeing community event, hosted by the People Directorate and facilitated by NHS Horizons will be focusing on: ‘Supporting our NHS People affected by Long Covid’ By joining this session, you will be able to take away information and guidelines on how to support the wellbeing of our NHS people who are affected by Long Covid. Register
  18. Event
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    This Westminster Forum is an opportunity to discuss the implementation of the NHS Long COVID plan for 2021/22, how to utilise funding set out for the expansion of services and management of Long COVID within primary care, the future outlook for Long COVID research, and the impact of new NIHR-funded projects. Key areas for discussion include: delivery of the Long COVID Plan and the utilisation of allocated funding priority areas for research to further improve understanding of Long COVID and the effectiveness of services developed for the condition care pathways within local health systems - leadership, implementation and commissioning, service development, rehabilitation, the impact of health inequalities, and integrating care Long COVID assessment clinics: - assessing progress and what more is needed to improve accessibility and support referrals from primary care - priorities for the development of services for children support for the health workforce - training and education priorities and sharing best practice in Long COVID care utilising data - scaling up its use and improving understanding of Long COVID and its prevalence involving patients - the development of Long COVID services, driving awareness of expanded online support, and improving equal accessibility to information. Agenda Register
  19. Event
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    We’re no longer in a national lockdown and life feels as though it is slowly getting back to normal, but for those who contracted COVID-19 and are still living with the debilitating consequences of the virus, the battle is far from won. With almost 400,000 UK adults experiencing the prevailing symptoms of COVID-19 over a year after first contracting the virus, Long Covid continues to remain on the agenda as a pressing and pertinent issue. This webinar from National Voices explores a person-centred response to Long Covid. This webinar event emerges as a sub-section of National Voices’ larger programme of work commissioned by NHSE/I, working alongside six VCSE organisations who support members of the community at risk of exclusion. During this event we will be joined by Michael MacLennan of covid:aid, Claire Hastie of Long Covid Support, Sammie Mcfarland of Long Covid Kids, and Davine Forde, a Lived Experience Associate from Manchester Health & Care Commissioning. They will engage in a panel discussion, sharing the lived experiences of those with Long Covid and shining a light on the crucial work that community-based organisations are doing to alleviate the burden on health services in response to Long Covid. Rachel Matthews, our Head of Experience, and Keymn Whervin, our Lived Experience Associate, will also examine the impact of implementing strategic co-production in working with lived experience leaders, uncovered through their Voices for Improvement project at National Voices. Discussions will be followed by a Q&A session with questions invited from attendees. Register
  20. Event
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    This webinar from the Westminster Health Forum focuses on the ongoing research into the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 and the priorities for coordinating effective care provision and treatment. The conference follows NICE guidance being published on managing the long term effects of COVID, and NHS England setting up long COVID assessment centres across the country. Key areas for discussion include: progress of research so far and priority focus areas going forward the development of guidance for long COVID improving patient awareness, supporting self-management and the importance of patient-centred care delivery the role of long COVID assessment centres and early lessons from their development supporting primary care in responding effectively to long COVID, integrated working and priorities for the use of multidisciplinary teams in assessment and rehabilitation. Register
  21. Event
    The Chronic Long Covid19 support group presents this international conference for patients. Presenters: Dr David Tuller, Global Public Health Expert, University of Berkeley, California: graded exercise therapy/cognitive behavior therapy treatment approach to ME and why it should not be used for long-covid patients. Nikita Alexandrov biochemist/biohacker, University of Alabama, USA: COVID-19 and the elephants in the room – big misconceptions and important out of the box observations made so far. Secondary infections: why there is no real cytokine storm concern and the issue of mast cell activation. Book your place
  22. News Article
    The MP leading an investigation into coronavirus fears Long Covid will be one of the biggest issues facing the UK for the next decade, after emerging research revealed most sufferers are still unable to work six months in. Layla Moran branded the scale of the problem ‘enormous’, as various experts warned that even healthy young adults have been left struggling to function for months on end. With hundreds of thousands of Brits now believed to have Long Covid, medics fear its impact on the world of work could herald another ‘massive economic crisis’. Workers in their 20s and 30s have told of a host of debilitating symptoms keeping them out of the office for much of last year and making simple tasks like walking to the toilet seem ‘like climbing a mountain’. Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, Ms Moran – who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on coronavirus – said: "The scale of this, in terms of the future prosperity of our country, is enormous. It is going to be, I think, one of the main issues that we are going to deal with not just in ten years but beyond." Read full story Source: Metro, 4 February 2021
  23. News Article
    Press release 3 February 2021 The charity Patient Safety Learning and patient group Long Covid Support are calling for the creation of a dedicated Minister for Long Covid to take a coordinated, multi-stakeholder approach to this issue.[1] Long Covid patients are people with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 who continue to struggle with prolonged, debilitating and sometimes severe symptoms months later.[2] Statistics indicate that there are currently hundreds of thousands of people living with Long Covid in the UK, with at least one in 10 people still experiencing symptoms 12 weeks after initial infection.[3] While there has been some progress to put in place support for people with Long Covid, there remains a complex spectrum of issues that need to be addressed. These are summarised in a blog, published by Patient Safety Learning and Long Covid Support today, calling for the UK Government to make urgent and significant improvements in their response to Long Covid.[4] Claire Hastie of the Long Covid Support, said: “Almost one year on from when many first fell ill, people with Long Covid are simply not getting the help they need. There is an urgent need to increase the pace and scale of the response to help the hundreds of thousands of people affected (including children). This needs to be driven by a dedicated minister with the power to affect change.” Helen Hughes, Chief Executive of Patient Safety Learning, said: “People living with Long Covid have too often been left ‘joining the dots’ trying to understand how they can access safe, quality treatment and support and what they can do to improve their health. Clinical advice and access to further investigations has been inconsistent, leaving many feeling abandoned, confused and understandably concerned for their future health outcomes. Long Covid not only impacts people’s physical and mental health, but also their ability to work and their economic circumstances. We believe the appointment of a Minister for Long Covid would help to provide leadership, accountability and a coordinated response to these challenges.” Notes to editors: [1] Patient Safety Learning is a charity and independent voice for improving patient safety. We harness the knowledge, insights, enthusiasm and commitment of health and social care organisations, professionals and patients for system-wide change and the reduction of avoidable harm. [2] The symptoms for those with Long Covid vary greatly but many are experiencing rashes, shortness of breath, neurological and gastrointestinal problems, abnormal temperatures, cardiac symptoms and extreme fatigue. [3] Office for National Statistics, The prevalence of Long Covid symptoms and Covid-19 complications, 16 December 2020. https://www.ons.gov.uk/news/statementsandletters/theprevalenceoflongcovidsymptomsandcovid19complications [4] Patient Safety Learning and Long Covid Support, Long Covid Minister needed to respond to the growing crisis, 3 February 2020. https://www.patientsafetylearning.org/blog/long-covid-minister-needed-to-respond-to-growing-crisis
  24. News Article
    Long Covid is no respecter of youth, health or fitness. It afflicts more women than men but it can strike anyone down, including people whose initial infection seemed mild, or even asymptomatic. In some cases, long Covid could mean lifelong Covid. The effects can be horrible. Among them are lung damage, heart damage and brain damage that can cause memory loss and brain fog, kidney damage, severe headaches, muscle and joint pain, loss of taste and smell, anxiety, depression and, above all, fatigue. We should all fear the lasting consequences of this pandemic. Long Covid is shorthand for a range of conditions. Some scientists divide them into three broad categories, others into four. Of these, one seems to ring a bell. It’s a cluster of symptoms that bear a strong similarity to myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This is a devastating condition that affects roughly a quarter of a million people in the UK, and is often caused, like long Covid, by viral infection. Among the common symptoms of ME/CFS are extreme fatigue that is not relieved by rest, and “post-exertional malaise”: even mild physical or mental effort can make patients extremely unwell. Many sufferers are confined to their home or even their bed, with their working life, social life and family life truncated. There is, so far, no diagnostic test and no cure. Yet ME/CFS has been disgracefully neglected by science and medicine. The NHS is now setting up specialist clinics to treat long Covid. But already, apparent mistakes are being made. Without the necessary caveats, the NHS recommends steadily increasing levels of exercise for people suffering from post-Covid fatigue. But as ME/CFS patients with post-exertional malaise know, this prescription, though it sounds intuitive, could be highly damaging. We need massive research programmes into both long Covid and ME/CFS, coupled with better information for doctors. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 21 January 2021
  25. News Article
    Younger people who think they are “invincible” need to be aware of the shocking life-changing reality of long Covid, according to health professionals who are living with the condition. Long Covid, also known as post-Covid syndrome, is used to describe the effects of COVID-19 that continue for weeks or months beyond the initial illness. Speaking at the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Coronavirus, Dr Nathalie MacDermott, 38, said neurologists believe Covid has damaged her spinal cord and she can only walk about 200 metres without some form of assistance. She said the damage has affected her bladder and bowel too, causing urinary tract infections, and she gets pain in her arms and has weakness in her grip. Dr MacDermott, a clinical doctor sub-specialising in paediatric infectious diseases in the NHS, told MPs there needs to be “better recognition” from employers that long Covid is a “genuine condition” and that people may need to be off work for a significant period of time. She added: “And I think we need better recognition in the public, particularly the younger public who think that they’re invincible. “I’m 38 and I wonder if I’ll ever be able to walk properly without crutches again. Will this continue to get worse? Will I end up in a wheelchair?” Read full story Source: 12 January 2021, Lancashire Post

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