Toby Ross used to be a relaxed, happy toddler who loved nothing more than playing with his toy cars.
But nine months after catching Covid, the three-year-old has been left with a range of debilitating side effects that may change his life forever.
Toby has Long Covid. He’s one of the youngest of at least 3000 children in Scotland aged between two and 17 experiencing the terrifying after-effects of catching this virus.
From facial swelling, fatigue, insomnia, abdominal pain, swollen toes, hair loss and brain fog, these children, some barely out of nappies, have had their lives changed beyond recognition.
The words of his mum Laura, herself a paediatric nurse, would terrifying any parent.
She said: “It’s heartbreaking. I just want my wee boy back and I long for the day when he won’t suffer any more.”
It is Scotland’s shame that we are not making them, and every adult suffering from Long Covid, a priority.
Because as the experts agree, this is the next public health battle we have to face.
Dr Janet Scott, clinical lecturer in infectious disease at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, said: “If we are expecting 100,000 new cases a day of Covid and 10 to 15 per cent of Covid sufferers go on to have Long Covid, that’s potentially 10,000 people a day who will need. multi-system medical assistance.”
The Scottish Government, instead of opening specialist clinics through the country as the NHS in England are doing, are spending millions on research into Long Covid.
In doing so, they are placing the burden on already overstretched GPs to deal with those with complex Long Covid needs.
It doesn’t take a health expert to work out that like cancer centres, these people should go to see specialists in one place who can treat patients with multiple issues.
A Tory government in Westminster, with their many failings, appears to be taking action while we do nothing. We need to act now.
Scotland, once the sick man of Europe, can ill-afford another long-term health crisis.
