We ignore the growing impact of long Covid at our peril

The NHS is currently consumed by dealing with Omicron and the pressures it’s creating, but there’s another burden already taking shape, writes Samuel Lovett

NHS staff are said to be working flat out to deal with Omicron (Victoria Jones/PA) (PA Wire)

About 1.3 million people in the UK are now thought to be suffering from long Covid, the highest number since estimates began.

The duration for which people have been living with the condition, and the treatment they require, will vary from one individual to another. Taken together, however, this burden of disease is undoubtedly the next health crisis waiting for the NHS as it fights its way through the current Omicron wave.

More worryingly, it’s a burden that is only set to increase in size. The estimates, provided by the Office for National Statistics, are figures as of 6 December – just before the recent surge in infections driven by Omicron.

With many people infected by the variant over Christmas, the rates for long Covid are realistically going to be even higher in the months ahead.

A closer look at the current data paints a deeply concerning picture: about 892,000 people have been living with the condition for at least 12 weeks, while 506,000 have been impacted for more than a year.

For these individuals, long Covid has reshaped their entire life, rendering the most simple of tasks almost impossible.

Sufferers say they have been left fatigued after washing the dishes, climbing a single flight of stairs or getting up to turn on a light. Others have struggled with insomnia, with one night after another consumed by restlessness and the anxiety and depression that follows an inability to sleep.

Some have been diagnosed with liver and kidney dysfunction, gastrointestinal disturbances, chest tightness, inflammatory disorders and even blood clotting. The list goes on.

These are health issues that require considered attention and care by the NHS – something that, understandably, has been missing amid the focus on tackling the acute pressures presented by Covid-19.

Indeed, I have received an email from a reader who first tested positive for Covid-19 in October 2020 and has “suffered with exhaustion ever since”. He raised concern over his condition to his GP, “who had no response at the time and said they would ask questions”. He has never heard back.

Across the UK, people with long Covid are struggling to receive treatment for their myriad of conditions. Dedicated clinics have been set up by the NHS, but they do not have the capacity or means to help those in need.

People who have attempted to access the clinics say they’ve faced waits of up to six months just to have an initial consultation with an expert. In some instances, patients have then been referred elsewhere – to dieticians, psychiatrists, or back to their GPs, all of whom have struggled to provide them with the right treatment they need.

With this current approach, we cannot expect to make any significant inroads into effectively tackling long Covid. Once the NHS is through the worst of Omicron, officials need to dedicate the time and resources to tackling an issue that, if left ignored, will soon spiral out of control.