This week I want to point you in the direction of some of the @LCNMUK blogs published over the past couple of months where nurses with Long Covid told their stories. I also want to highlight that Covid Isn’t Over and that many NHS workers with Long Covid are facing financial destitution now that covid sick pay has been removed across the UK. (More information about the removal of covid sick pay can be found here.)

Anna tells her story here.

Dee’s story can be read here.  

Jenni’s story can be found here.  

Treasa’s story is here.

Brenda’s story can be seen in this video.

Please share these stories far and wide. If you are living with Long Covid please feel free to send me your story.

Please remember that health and social care workers are still at risk of developing Long Covid as are teachers. Every Covid reinfection makes it more likely that you will develop post-covid sequelae. @DavidSteadson tweeted a graph that shows how each Covid-19 reinfection increases the chances of developing Long Covid.  

The nurses’ stories I shared earlier in this blog show how having Long Covid can be life changing. Many of us have ongoing cognitive dysfunction with no access to cognitive assessments as evidenced by the results of a recent Twitter poll (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Percentage of people with Long Covid who have had a cognitive assessment (n=208)

The situation has been made worse because infection protection guidelines by @NHSEngland and @UKHSA still do not acknowledge that Covid is airborne. More information about this can be found in a blog by @EvonneTCurran and one I wrote for Evidence Based Nursing.

As well as revised infection protection guidelines, NHS staff with Long Covid need much better support. @rogerkline discussed this in an Evidence Based Nursing blog a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, very little seems to have changed since. More information about this coming soon.

 

 

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