Members' Business — S6M-01861 Alex Cole-Hamilton: Long Covid as a Condition of Concern

That the Parliament considers that long COVID is a condition of serious concern; understands that figures published by the Office for National Statistics estimate that 79,000 people in Scotland, including individuals in the Edinburgh Western constituency, have already self-reported long COVID; notes that symptoms of long COVID include chronic fatigue, muscle spasms, breathing problems, sleep problems and cognitive impairment; understands that, of those who have self-reported, 61,000 have been experiencing symptoms for more than 12 weeks, and 31,000 have been experiencing symptoms for a year; considers that the omission of long COVID from the NHS Recovery Plan was a disappointment to many who currently have the condition; notes the view that the support currently available to people with long COVID does not sufficiently address their needs, and that more measures, including specialist clinics, a care pathway and community nurses who are able to visit people at home where necessary, must be introduced, and further notes the calls for long COVID to be prioritised in future Scottish Government decisions.