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WQ.209/2021
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
BY DEPUTY R.J. WARD OF ST. HELIER
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON TUESDAY 4th MAY 2021
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 11th MAY 2021
Question
How many cases of long Covid-19 have been identified to date; and what measures are in place to address the needs of these patients?
Answer
Long COVID is a new and emerging condition that is not yet fully understood. To date, there is no universally agreed definition of long COVID, but it covers a broad range of symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, and difficulty concentrating. As such, it is a difficult condition to diagnose and accurately identify.
Work is underway to try to quantify how many Jersey residents may have long COVID. This includes specific codes for ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 (5-12 weeks duration of symptoms) and post-COVID syndrome (>12 weeks symptoms) being added to the EMIS database in March 2021, allowing GPs to record potential cases of long COVID. To date, 30 people have been coded as such.
It must be noted that there are limitations to this data. This is a new condition, therefore, patients may be coded by their individual symptoms or the association with previous COVID-19 infection may not initially be recognised. Ongoing work is taking place to ensure that any future developments for Long COVID care can be based on a clear picture of need. Patients who remain symptomatic post COVID-19 are advised to see their GP. If required, referral to an appropriate specialist, depending on predominate symptoms, would be made using existing referral pathways into secondary care then on to tertiary care if needed.