Thank you for contacting me about long term recovery from COVID-19.
While many people feel better in a few days or weeks and most will make a full recovery within 12 weeks, for some people, symptoms can last longer. In some cases, people can suffer symptoms, including respiratory and mental health conditions, for months. I believe it is important to recognise this and offer the right support to people who have long-term symptoms.
The network of more than 80 specialist assessment service clinics to support patients suffering so-called 'long COVID' is an important way of helping those experiencing the debilitating effects of the virus months after being infected. The clinics bring together doctors, nurses, therapists and other specialists to carry out assessments of those experiencing enduring symptoms. NHS England has provided £10m to fund these clinics, which will benefit people across the UK living with the condition.
There is of course still more we can learn about long COVID, so I warmly welcome research funding commitments of £50 million to support a range of projects. Nearly £20 million has been announced for an extensive programme of 15 new research studies. The projects will focus on better understanding and identification of long COVID, identifying effective treatments, improving home monitoring and self-management of symptoms and better integrating specialist, hospital and community services for those suffering with long COVID. I am particularly encouraged by the STIMULATE-ICP project at University College London Hospitals NHS Trust which will be the largest long COVID trial to date, recruiting more than 4,500 people with the condition.
I agree that it is vital we better understand the physical, psychological and rehabilitation needs for those experiencing Long COVID, which is why I firmly support this ongoing research to improve our understanding.
Long Covid in Children: I am aware that there was some discussion linking inflammatory symptoms in children to COVID-19. I do, however, want to stress that the youngest in our society are at least risk from the current pandemic. Professor Adilia Warris, a paediatric infectious diseases specialist at the University of Exeter said: “children have so far accounted for between 1 per cent and 5 per cent of diagnosed Covid-19 cases, have often milder disease than adults and deaths have been extremely rare”. Furthermore, the aforementioned inflammatory symptoms in children are highly infrequent events, and not all of those affected tested positive for COVID-19.
A multi-hospital, multi-disciplinary team has worked to develop a treatment protocol in the unlikely event that inflammatory symptoms emerge in children, related to coronavirus, which has proven so successful that these symptoms have been described as "no longer expected to be fatal". This UK-based research swiftly and effectively established a treatment protocol which is now being shared worldwide.
I too have seen the ONS data suggesting that 13 per cent of under 11s and 15 per cent of 12-16 year olds have reported at least one symptom of so called long COVID five weeks after a confirmed COVID-19 infection. I know that a number of studies into long COVID and children are ongoing but are in early stages and no firm conclusions have been drawn. I will be following the developments in these studies closely.
I welcome that the Government is continuing to work with scientists to improve our collective understanding of the impact long COVID has on people of all ages, making sure these individuals receive the best possible support. To help people suffering with long COVID, new specialist NHS clinics have been opened across the country, which provide assessment for adults, children and young people alike.
ME/CFS: I know that many people have observed similarities between the long term impact of coronavirus, sometimes known as long Covid or post viral fatigue, and the symptoms of ME. Given these similarities, I agree that it would be extremely useful for researchers to share knowledge and best practice for treating these two conditions and I would encourage the scientific research community to do so. I will continue to follow progress relating to treatment of these conditions closely.
Your Recovery Service: NHS England and NHS Improvement have also been working with the University Hospitals of Leicester Trust to develop a digital, interactive and personalised recovery service for those recovering from the illness. The ‘Your Covid Recovery’ service allows those who have suffered with the virus either in hospital or at home to access an initial face-to-face consultation with their local rehabilitation team. Those who require it will then be offered a personalised package of online-based aftercare for up to 12 weeks. You can find more information here: https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/.
Key Worker Compensation: I join my colleagues on all sides of the house in thanking our health and social care staff for their hard work and dedication throughout the pandemic, and I believe it is important that staff are treated fairly and that employers make full use of the existing sick pay provisions on offer to support staff. I know that the Government is working with scientists and specialists to improve our understanding of the impact of long COVID to ensure that the best possible support is available to all affected individuals.
Recognition of Covid as an Occupational Disease: I wish all those who have contracted COVID-19 a speedy recovery and pay tribute to NHS and care staff who have worked tirelessly to save lives during this difficult time. While many people feel better in a few days or weeks and most will make a full recovery within 12 weeks, for some people, symptoms can last longer. I believe it is important to recognise this and offer the right support to people who have long-term symptoms. The Government has invested over £50 million in research to help us better understand the long term effects of COVID-19 and ensure the right help and treatments are available.
The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council has considered the emerging scientific evidence concerning COVID-19 and its occupational coverage and is unable to make any firm conclusions that will allow for prescription under the Industrial Injures Scheme at this time. The Council will continue to monitor the emerging data and provide further advice based on further scientific and epidemiological evidence. The Government will carefully consider any recommendations made by the council regarding COVID-19.
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) provides the national reporting framework for responsible persons (usually employers in relation to employees) to report certain cases of injury, occupational disease and dangerous occurrences to the Health and Safety Executive. Where an individual has either been exposed to Covid-19 as a direct result of their work, those instances are reportable under RIDDOR.
I do hope that this provides some reassurance, and thank you for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker MP
August 2021