Clare Daly, whose life has been wrecked by long Covid

• AS a fellow sufferer, I was sorry to hear of Clare Daly’s battle, (‘Save us from Long Covid’: Woman says condition left her in burning pain, July 1).

I also had only mild symptoms, a snivelly nose for about a week in April last year, which went away.

But the next day, just walking down my short hallway, I had to stop as I was breathless, an issue that remains with me 15 months later.

I am male and, at more than twice her age, a pensioner, so I am not affected by the financial and work-related matters she has had to deal with from her ME myalgic encephalomyelitis.

And my continuing symptoms are also much less severe than hers, basically amounting to being breathless on minimal exercise, but with similar concentration issues as well as sleep-related problems.

But, after reading reports on clinics being set up to help long Covid sufferers, I contacted my GP who, surprisingly, told me there was little that could be done.

I had a similar response from the respiratory department at the Royal Free Hospital, which also said there was nothing they could offer me.

This was after receiving a test which showed my “gas-transfer rate” was just 41 per cent, and that was back in March; although I was prescribed an inhaler.

Recent weeks have seen slight improvement, perhaps from the inhaler, but I am still far from what I would consider normal.

Clearly, as Ms Daly says, we need more research. It is good that the long Covid concept has been accepted but my local experience suggests that is of almost no help to sufferers like me.

A more recent experience suggests GPs are failing us in other ways.

I have been putting olive oil in my left ear to soften up some wax there, with a plug of cotton wool to stop the oil dribbling out.

But when I couldn’t find the cotton wool plug one morning, I went to my local surgery to get someone to check if it was still there, and they refused to even look, and said I should go to the Royal Free emergency care centre.

Some hours later a doctor there thoroughly examined both ears, confirming that there was wax build-up but that there was no sign of any cotton wool, which was a relief.

But the point is that the Royal Free now has a “GP centre”, obviously because GPs are not doing their jobs.

Perhaps the possible American private ownership of GP surgeries could have a benefit. They can’t do any worse!

Or is the whole story simply reflecting the poor state of the National Health Service after decades of underfunding?

DAVID REED
Eton Avenue, NW3