Doctor's stark warning on Long-Covid's 'devastating impact' for younger people
9 July 2021, 07:27 | Updated: 9 July 2021, 09:04
Doctor's warning on Long-Covid for younger people
Dr David Strain warns that Long Covid could have a "devastating long term effect" on young people.
As lockdown restrictions look set to ease many medical experts are warning about the potential devastating impact of Long-Covid.
LBC's Tom Swarbrick asked a member of the NHS Long-Covid task force how worried people should be as cases are 13 times higher for people in their 20s than in their 60s.
Dr David Strain said it was "worrying for this particular generation," pointing out it showed the vaccine was working.
He warned that this could have a "devastating long term effect," adding "we know that many people who get this for the first twelve weeks are still sick twelve months later."
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More than 100 scientists and doctors have signed a letter accusing the UK Government of conducting a "dangerous and unethical experiment" and urging it to reconsider its plans to abandon all coronavirus restrictions.
Any strategy that "tolerates high levels of infection is both unethical and illogical", according to the 122 signatories who include Sir David King, the former chief scientific adviser and chair of Independent Sage, and Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the Council for the British Medical Association.
The letter published in The Lancet comes after the Government announced that a range of coronavirus restrictions are due to be eased in England from July 19.
They also stressed there was a risk of long Covid to the wider population, especially those who were vulnerable, younger people and children, as well as people who were unvaccinated.
Dr Nagpaul said the numbers of Covid-19 cases in the UK were soaring and while the link between hospitalisations and deaths had weakened, it had not been broken.
"The Government has also airbrushed the impact of long Covid on one in 10 people getting infected and with two million having been unwell for more than three months. It would be irresponsible to inflict further suffering on millions more," he said.
"We know that masks are effective in stopping the spread, so it is nonsensical and dangerous for the Government to abandon compulsory mask-wearing in indoor public settings, such as public transport, on July 19."
