Thousands in Shropshire could be fighting long Covid as one sufferer details her daily struggle
Tens of thousands of people in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin could be suffering from long Covid, new estimates suggest.
The Long Covid SOS charity said more public awareness and research is needed to support those with the debilitating condition.
And a long Covid sufferer from Shrewsbury who struggles every day agrees.
Karen Peake says she feels like people like herself have been forgotten.
An NHS GP patient survey found 5.3 per cent of 6,057 respondents in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin said they were still experiencing symptoms more than 12 weeks after first having Covid-19 – up from 4.6 per cent reported in 2022.
It could mean about 23,300 people aged 16 and older in the area were struggling with lingering health problems from the disease.
Karen, 55, was one of the first in Shropshire to become seriously ill with Covid.
She was taken into hospital with breathing problems and desperately low oxygen levels on April 1, 2020.
After a week in intensive care she spent a further week at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital before being released.
But more than three years on Karen can see no end to long Covid health problems including chest and heart issues.
"I've been waiting for a specialist cardiology appointment for a year," she said.
