NEARLY half of people in Scotland with Long Covid say there has been no real change in their symptoms over time, according to a new report.
A survey by Long Covid Scotland, which campaigns for treatment and rehabilitation, found that only 31 per cent of its 222 respondents reported feeling gradually better over time with 43% saying there was no real change.
One one person out of the 222 respondents said they had made a full recovery.
One in five said they had paid privately for tests and investigations due to frustration at lack of access and long waiting times on the NHS.
The report said people with Long Covid have been "demoralised by poor public health messaging" and a misconception among some of the general public that Covid-19 "is mainly a short-term respiratory, flu-like illness".
It adds: "We know from the many personal accounts that long Covid has destroyed the lives of people who previously had healthy and active lives before contracting Covid-19.
"In the survey, almost two-thirds of people reported that they had no underlying health condition or disability before contracting Covid-19."
There is no diagnostic test for Long Covid.
It is generally defined as symptoms persisting beyond four weeks, but many patients continue to suffer a wide range of problems from extreme fatigue to chronic pain for months or even years.
Nearly everyone surveyed (96%) said that Long Covid had adversely affected their mental health and wellbeing, and 61% said they were facing additional financial pressures as a result of loss of income, reduced hours and long-term sick leave.
READ MORE: Two years on - what have we learned about Long Covid?
Nearly nine in 10 (87%) said their condition impacted their family and personal relationships because they felt "like a burden", were unable to contribute to household tasks, or walk their children to school.
The report added: "Many people highlighted the impact of long Covid on their quality of life.
"A common theme was the trade-offs needed, for example, only being well enough to work and not doing any leisure activities afterwards.
"Many people reported needing at least 12 hours of rest a day because of tiredness and fatigue."
CASE STUDY: 'Some days I can't even lift a cup to my mouth'
Long Covid Scotland chair Jane Ormerod said: “Holistic care is required to address the complexity of Long Covid. People with Long Covid need patient-informed services across Scotland, including Long Covid specific clinics and services with clear pathways for treatment and support, including paediatric services.
"Long Covid Scotland hope that the publication of this survey report will further highlight the needs of those with Long Covid and reinforce the need for the Scottish Government and NHS health boards to work together to address a public health issue that will not go away.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel