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Long Covid hits Scots harder than UK average, shows new data


By Ewan Malcolm

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NEW figures show Scots are more likely to be hit harder by Long Covid than the UK average.

Long Covid is most commonly associated with symptoms such as breathlessness and fatigue.
Long Covid is most commonly associated with symptoms such as breathlessness and fatigue.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics saw 25 per cent of people with Long Covid in Scotland state that their daily lives have been severely affected by the condition, compared to the UK wide average of 19 per cent.

This month Scotland saw the highest number of people estimated to be living with Long Covid with figures reaching 100,000 – an increase of 1,000 on last month.

Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS), has issued fresh calls to better coordinate Long Covid care as cases increase.

Jane-Claire Judson, Chief Executive at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said:

"It's really worrying to see estimates that a quarter of people living with Long Covid in Scotland find their lives completely changed by the condition – higher than the UK average. People who were once fit and healthy are telling us they're struggling to get out of bed, look after their young children or even walk to end of their street.

"We need to make sure that people have far better access to Long Covid support in 2022 to stop the trend from worsening.

"There are good services out there to help, but they need to be joined up. For example, the majority of GPs can't automatically refer into our support service because local data sharing agreements need to be in place. We need a national approach or the support of Health Boards and the Scottish Government to get these agreements in place right across the country.

"As the number of people living with Long Covid continues to rise in Scotland, we want to make sure people don't suffer in silence and are urging people to please contact our Long Covid Advice Line on 0808 801 0899."

More information can be found here.


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