'Long Covid' in Hartlepool: GPs seeing influx of patients with 'really unusual symptoms' - new service to launch supporting people suffering long-term effects

While most people who suffer from Covid-19 experience mild symptoms and are able to recover quickly and resume with their normal lives, others see longer lasting effects.

This can mean the effects of the virus can last for weeks or months, which has been labelled ‘long Covid’,and leaves people suffering from issues such as lasting fatigue, persistent pain and breathlessness.

RELATED: These are the latest Covid-19 figures for Hartlepool

Cllr Stephen Thomas, at the latest Hartlepool Health and Wellbeing Board meeting, asked how many cases of long Covid are coming through in the region, and where the closest contact support centre is.

Fiona Adamson, representative of the GP Federation, said practices are reporting ‘a lot of activity’ in terms of long Covid.

She said: “Long Covid, it’s very difficult to say how many cases.

“Suffice to say that practices are reporting a lot of activity from people who, perhaps were in hospital in the first wave, or perhaps were fine at home, but are reporting with a whole range of really unusual symptoms, not necessarily all the same, so I would say that they are busy.”

New support service to help those suffering

She added a service is currently being set up, which is to be made available in the coming weeks, at the University Hospital of North Tees which would support those suffering with long Covid.

She said: “There is a service currently being worked up in North Tees, but it looks really good. It looks like practices will be able to refer people through the single point of access that operates in Hartlepool.

“Then they’ll go into a team approach to work out do they need a physio, do they need another consultant assessment, all sorts of other things, do they need a social prescriber for some social support.

“I thought it looked really impressive and I think the intention is for that to be up and running within a week to two weeks, it’s just a question of dotting the final I’s and crossing the T’s.”

Craig Blundred, Hartlepool’s director of public health, noted it is an issue they are aware of, and they have been seeing some people come through with a number of different Covid-19 symptoms.

He said: “What we are finding is more people now seem to now be coming forward without having the standard three symptoms.

“So while we are still highlighting those, and it’s important we do, we need to do some more work around those other symptoms as well.

“I’m not sure what they might be being caused by, but I think it is clear we need to raise awareness.”

He added one issue is often people presenting with other symptoms, which could be linked to long Covid, are similar to general cold and flu symptoms.

Mr Blundred noted therefore they are having a ‘big push’ to ensure more people are receiving the flu vaccination.

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