More than 7,200 people suffering from long Covid in county Tipperary, according to survey

The results of a new  survey reveals that 7,203 people in county Tipperary have conditions associated with long Covid and 1,152 of those are dealing with symptoms that significantly impact their daily lives. 

The survey carried out by polling company, Ireland Thinks, shows Tipperary has the ninth highest number of people with long Covid out of the country’s 26 counties. 

The survey, commissioned by Independent TD Denis Naughten, found there are 230,559 people in Ireland who have self-declared to be suffering with conditions associated with long Covid and 36,889 of these people are impacted a lot in their daily activities by these symptoms.

 The polling data shows that: 

1. 6% of adults in Ireland have self-reported symptoms of long Covid in excess of 12 weeks, with a further 3% of adults self-reporting the onset of symptoms for less than 12 weeks.

 2. Long Covid symptoms impact a lot on daily activities of 16% of people with long Covid with a further 63% stating that the symptoms are having some impact on their daily lives.

These survey results correlate with previous figures presented by Deputy Naughten based on research published last summer in The Lancet by a team of researchers in the Netherlands who have attributed long Covid symptoms to 12.7% of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

 Research on blood donors published last month by Ireland’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre  indicates that 69% of adults in Ireland have been infected by the virus. Mr Naughten said this is the first exploratory survey of its kind to be conducted in Ireland, and it offers a stark perspective on the community prevalence of long Covid, which does not currently have a defined treatment pathway.

 “The reality is that such a large number of long Covid patients  presenting to our hospitals with complex health conditions at a time when the system is already overwhelmed could lead to the collapse of the health service,” the TD  warned.

“We cannot just sleepwalk into a crisis of chronic illness, which will push people waiting on treatments since before the pandemic even further down already horrendous waiting lists.

“We need to see this surge of long  Covid patients managed with a co-ordinated response from Government.”

Mr Naughten said the findings from the first comprehensive survey on the prevalence of long Covid in Ireland, show the need to urgently address the care requirements of those who are suffering with this illness. 

“While the mechanism behind the disease has yet to be fully defined; given the proportion of the population in Ireland living with long Covid, it is imperative that evidence-based treatment pathways be explored as a priority.

 “It is also interesting to point out that The Lancet paper published last summer described long Covid as ‘the next public health disaster in the making’ which clearly indicates that Government must now treat this illness and the patients with it as a matter of the utmost priority,” Mr Naughten added