Coronavirus survivor Neil Edwards, who was told by doctors he had been “at the brink of death,” said Long Covid symptoms have left him unable to work.
The heavy goods driver was one of the first patients admitted to hospital with coronavirus in Scotland in March 2020 and was in a coma for 16 days at St John’s Hospital in Livingston.
Neil, 59, from Mid Calder, West Lothian, said: “I’d always been fit and healthy before but Covid has left me with so many issues that have stopped me working for over a year – bone and muscle pain, extreme fatigue, breathlessness, brain fog and sore eyes.
“Thankfully my employers are keeping my job open for me but sick pay finished at the end of January. If I didn’t have savings, we’d be in serious trouble so I very much welcome all that’s being done to get Long Covid recognised as a disability to give workers legal protection and compensation.
"Not one of us asked for this so any help would be appreciated.”
The dad-of-two paid tribute to his family for helping get him through, especially his granddaughter Ellie, four.
As one of the first Scottish Covid patients to be discharged from ICU, Neil was cheered as he left the ward.
He was transferred to the renal ward at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where he spent a month due to the virus damaging his kidneys.
Neil feels he would greatly benefit from specialist medical support but nothing is available.
He said: “I feel like I’ve just been left to get on with all these things. All I got from the doctor was a prescription for antidepressants.
“We need Long Covid clinics like they have in England so we can access specialist support.”
Scottish Labour’s Jackie Baillie said: “We fully support the recognition of Long Covid as a disability. The threat posed to people’s wellbeing and the health of our economy can’t be understated. It’s time the Scottish Government acted to set up Long Covid clinics now.”
The Scottish Government said: “We are strengthening the existing services offered by our NHS, partnering with the third sector and investing £2.5 million in research to learn more about the condition.
“We encourage employers to apply fair work principles and a flexible approach to dealing with the impacts of Covid-19.”
