Long covid clinic opens in Aylesbury
Its a partnership between Bucks Healthcare Trust, Bucks CCG and Oxford University NHS Trust
Last updated 12th Jan 2021
A specialised clinic has opened in Aylesbury for people with long covid symptoms.
Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire residents suffering with Long COVID symptoms are now able to visit a specialised clinic at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury.
It is a partnership between Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Oxford University NHS Foundation Trust and the Buckinghamshire CCG.
This is part of a national drive to help thousands of patients suffering with the long-term symptoms of coronavirus and enable them to access specialist help locally.
The clinic at Stoke Mandeville Hospital will be accepting referrals from GPs across Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, as well as following up with patients discharged from hospitals.
They will investigate any ongoing coronavirus symptoms which are affecting patients’ lives, such as brain fog, anxiety, depression, breathlessness, fatigue and other debilitating symptoms.
Patients will be offered a hospital appointment with a team of three separate specialists; a respiratory physician, a psychologist and a physiotherapist.
The main three groups of symptoms people are suffering are respiratory, physical, and psychological.
Mitra Shahidi is head of respiratory infections and long covid:
"If people have symptoms that are improving it is not unreasonable to say 'Okay this is Covid, I am going to see how things go and see if I get better.'
"But if people are simply not getting better, or getting worse, then definitely after 12 weeks they should seek help.
"With the respiratory side of things, it is mainly breathlessness people are complaining of.
"With regards to the psychological symptoms, there is a lot of anxiety, sleep difficulties poor memory and some are panicking.
"And some, especially after ICU stays are suffering from a post traumatic stress syndrome.
"And the physically there's a lot of fatigue, muscle weakness, muscles aches and paints and then for some people a significant decrease of exercise ability."
More on Coronavirus
What is Covid-19?
Covid-19 emerged as a virus in December 2019 as the first cases are reported in Wuhan, China. Scientifically known as SARS-CoV-2, the virus created a global pandemic as it began to spread around the world. Symptoms can range from very mild to severe, causing death in some cases. Some people are completely asymptomatic and do not realise they even have the virus.
Has there been a virus like this before?
The SARS pandemic in 2003 was similar to Covid-19 in that it was also caused by a coronavirus. SARS stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The global outbreak of SARS lasted from 2002-2003, infecting over 8,000 people and killing 774. Covid-19 and SARS are both respiratory illnesses, but SARS was much more deadly and less infectious.
What are the main symptoms?
The NHS say the main Covid-19 symptoms are a high temperature, a new and continuous cough and loss or change to taste of sense or smell. NHS advises people with Covid-19 to take plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, and take paracetamol for a high temperature.
What was the Government reaction?
The UK Government announced the first of several lockdowns in March 2020. By the end of the month, more than 100 countries around the world introduce full or partial lockdowns, preventing people from going to work, restricting everyday tasks and affecting the livelihoods of billions of people globally.
Which countries have been worst hit?
During the first year of the pandemic, the US recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world and the most deaths, reporting an unprecedented 100,000 new cases in one day on November 4th 2020. Thousands of new cases were recorded on the same date in India (46,000+), the United Kingdom (22,000+), Brazil (17,000+) and Mexico (5,000+), while Ireland records less than 1,000 (578). Hundreds of other countries also reported a high rate of infection.
How have vaccines fought against Covid-19?
Vaccines began being approved for use across the globe. By January 2021, the UK approved the use of three different vaccines. The Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and the Moderna vaccine are rolled out to the public, with older people and those with greater health concerns getting priority. In April 2022, just under 53 million people had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
What are new Covid variants?
Four new variants of Covid-19 were discovered around the world. Beta was found in South Africa, Gamma in Brazil and Delta in India, while the Alpha variant was first located in Kent, UK. New variants are not likely to make someone more seriously ill than Covid-19 would, but variants like Delta have a higher infection rate, meaning it can be more easily spread.
The Omicron variant was first detected late 2021 in South Africa. Since then, it has become one of the most dominant variants in the world, with its own sub strains - BA.4 and BA.5.