FEATURE COVID-19
It ’ s time for Scotland to act
Edward Duncan , Jenny Preston and Kay Cooper look at why Scotland needs to fund Long COVID rehabilitation immediately
The world is 19 months into COVID-19 and more than four million people have died ( https :// covid19 . who . int /). Many countries have rising death rates and desperately require COVID-19 vaccination supplies . Others , including the UK , are benefiting from high vaccination uptake and decreasing deaths .
But fewer deaths do not equate to fewer cases . While in England collective measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 have been jettisoned , the number of infections across the UK as a whole is still rising ( https :// covid . joinzoe . com / data # levels-over-time ).
It is now clear that increases in COVID-19 cases will result in growing numbers of people experiencing symptoms of varying degrees following their initial infection . A recent study by Whitaker et al ( 2021 ) found that 38 per cent of people with COVID-19 had at least one enduring symptom 12 weeks later – a condition known as Long COVID .
Long COVID presents in many different ways . In a recent survey of COVID support groups ( Davis et al 2021 ), people who had either confirmed or suspected COVID-19 said that after six months their most common symptoms included fatigue , worsening of symptoms after very little activity and difficulty in thinking clearly – also known as ‘ brain fog ’.
Responses to long COVID Long COVID affects people ’ s ability to go about their daily lives . In another recent UK survey from the National Institute for
Health
© urbazon via Getty Images research ( NIHR 2021 ) respondents stated that it affected their family life ( 71 per cent ), ability to work ( 80 per cent ), ability to look after their families ( 39 per cent ) and their finances ( 36 per cent ).
Almost half of respondents were working reduced hours , with 22 per cent being unable to work at all . As a result , people living with Long COVID are increasingly calling on governments to provide appropriate assessment , rehabilitation and economic assistance to support their recovery .
To date , the four UK governments have responded differently to this condition . In December 2020 , the Westminster government , responsible for health in England , launched a network of specialist multidisciplinary Long COVID assessment centres . In June 2021 , it extended these to include specific centres for children and young people .
In the same month , the Northern Ireland government announced the establishment of similar centres , while the Welsh government announced a £ 5 million recovery plan , including a self-care app and a new referral pathway to help GPs guide patients with Long COVID through existing services .
Instead , recognising that little is known about how to best assess , treat and rehabilitate people with Long COVID , the Scottish government has funded nine research projects totalling around £ 2.5 million .
More recently , a further £ 19.6 million of NIHR funding has also been awarded to universities across the UK to help diagnose and treat Long COVID .
Responding to a question following a recent briefing , Scotland ’ s first minister Nicola Sturgeon stated that people with Long COVID should attend their GP , who will refer them to relevant services . Our own research conducted earlier this year found that every territorial NHS health board in Scotland was providing rehabilitation services , in different ways , for these Long COVID patients ( Duncan et al 2021 ).
32 OTnews August 2021