Scotland’s Long Covid service
Long COVID relates to people who have “signs and symptoms that develop during or after an infection that is consistent with COVID-19, which continue for more than four weeks and are not explained by an alternative diagnosis”[1].
This is an umbrella term which covers a range of different symptoms. These can overlap, change over time and can affect different systems within the body. Some of the common symptoms include, but are not limited to; fatigue, persisting high temperature, breathlessness, cognitive impairment, generalised pain, and mental health problems.
It is important to recognise that these symptoms can have a significant impact on people’s quality of life and are not limited to people who were seriously unwell or hospitalised with, or as a result of, COVID-19. In addition, we recognise that many people living with long COVID may not have had access to community testing for COVID-19 at the time of their initial infection.