LCK In The News

The mother of an 11-year-old girl with long Covid says she just wants her daughter back to her normal, active self.
Freya, from North Yorkshire, says she feels tired all the time and gets headaches, backaches and rashes and has to use a wheelchair.

Two years ago Jasmine Marwick was a healthy 16-year-old who loved swimming and doing her make-up.
Now, she manages to leave the house once a week to sit in a cafe or do food shopping - if she can lean on the trolley. Her parents are frustrated by the lack of awareness and treatment.
Long Covid Kids Scotland said the condition is often disbelieved by medical professionals. That urgently needs to change, says lead representative Helen Goss.

Helen Goss, who also has the post-viral condition, said daughter Anna's illness "upturned" their world.

More than 150,000 people in Scotland are thought to have long Covid.

Respiratory consultant Dr Binita Kane said her daughter's first bout of Covid in 2021 was mild but she never fully recovered. “She had severe fatigue, a sore throat, aches and pains in her legs… she was unable to function". Dr Kane battled for six months to get her daughter treatment on the NHS, but none was available. In February, Dr Kane took Jasmin to Germany to get treatment that is unlikely to be available in the UK for two more years.

"Health officials have cautioned that young patients can still be afflicted by long COVID, which can cause a range of unsettling and potentially debilitating symptoms."