Unveiling the Scottish COVID Inquiry: A Scene-Setting Report or Source of Concern?

This morning, the Scottish Covid Inquiry begins with Dr. Ashley Croft, a Consultant Public Health Physician and Medical Epidemiologist, presenting a report on Covid-19's scientific understanding from late 2019 to the end of 2022. The report has been commissioned to "set the scene" for the Inquiry.

WATCH LIVE on the Scottish Covid Inquiry website from 10am on 26th July 2023.

The report has raised questions among some Core Participants with the Scottish Bereaved Families expressing "grave concerns" about its content, while the Scottish Healthcare Workers Coalition highlights the omission of crucial evidence, suggesting bias. Long Covid Kids have voiced concerns about the lack of balance in the cited literature and the inaccuracies in stating that children were not at risk from severe disease.

Since March 2020, in the UK;

• 183 children have tragically lost their lives to COVID19,

• An estimated 3,000 children have suffered from paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS/MIS-C),

• Many thousands of children and young people have been hospitalised,

• An estimated 62,000 children now live with long covid which has left them chronically ill with varying degrees of disability. 53,000 of those have been ill for over a year.

Source: Office of National Statistics (ONS)

It is important that the Scottish Covid Inquiry are clear that young people have been severely harmed and continue to be severely harmed by SARS-CoV-2, and we are grateful to the Scottish Covid Inquiry team for clarifying that Core Participants will have the opportunity to formally respond to this report and refute the inaccuracies at a later date.

In advance of Dr Croft's presentation, Long Covid Kids COO, Helen Goss discussed the report on BBC Radio Scotland.

While children are living with life-changing symptoms and families struggle to seek support, we need to be here.

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