7,203 people suffering with Long Covid condition in Tipperary

There are 7,203 people across County Tipperary suffering from Long Covid, according to a survey by leading polling company Ireland Thinks.

As many as 1,152 of these are significantly impacted by what are often debilitating health issues, long after they have had the Covid-19 virus.

So much so that The Lancet, the well-known independent, international general medical journal, has stated that Long Covid ‘could be the next public health disaster in the making’.

This is not surprising as the survey, carried out in November, revealed that 230,559 across Ireland have symptoms of Long Covid, with 36,889 of these people deemed to be ‘significantly impacted’.

Long Covid is an umbrella name given to a broad range of some 200 post-Covid symptoms which include conditions such as chronic fatigue and brain fog, which are experienced at least three months after the initial infection for significant periods of time, in some cases for over two years.

“While most people will make a full and quick recovery from Covid-19, some adults and children can continue to experience ongoing symptoms or can have a relapse after an initial recovery. These symptoms can persist for several months, or even years”, Tipperary Independent TD,  Deputy Lowry told the Tribune.
 

In November last, Deputy Lowry and members of the Regional Group of TD’s brought forward a Motion calling for the rollout of specialist services to support those who have failed to make a full recovery after being infected with the SARS- CoV-2 virus. This was the first major Parliamentary debate on the impact of Long Covid in Ireland.

“The current reality is that a large number of Long Covid patients are presenting to hospitals with complex health conditions at a time when the system is already bursting at the seams. These patients, many of whom are chronically ill, are adding to our already ridiculously long waiting lists as there are insufficient dedicated clinics established to deal with their medical needs”, Deputy Lowry said.

“Long Covid needs to be acknowledged with the same degree of importance as the initial wave of infections. People are suffering and are crying out for help.

“The findings released from this first comprehensive survey on the prevalence of Long Covid in Ireland, stresses the need to urgently address the health care requirements of those who are suffering with this illness”, Deputy Lowry said.

Most Common in Leinster

Meanwhile, Long Covid is more than twice as common in Leinster than other areas in Ireland, causing delays in specialist clinics, a survey has found.

People suffering the condition in Leinster can wait up to a year to see a  specialist and face lengthy waiting times in clinics.
The  Ireland Thinks poll earlier referenced by Deputy Lowry revealed 1,300 people found the self-declared incidence of long covid was 9.36% in Leinster, 5.4% in Munster, and 3.78% in Connacht and Ulster. Six percent of adults in Ireland reported symptoms of long covid for more than 12 weeks and a further 3% had symptoms for less than 12 weeks.

The most common symptoms are fatigue (86%), shortness of breath (59%), sleep problems (44%), memory problems (43%), and muscle ache (39%), and women are twice as likely to experience shortness of breath and muscle ache than men who are diagnosed.