Clare Fm - Podcasts

Clare's Oireachtas Health Committee members are calling for greater recognition of the challenges posed by long Covid. The condition, which is thought to affect over 7% of the population, was the main topic of discussion at this week's meeting of the committee. It's estimated over 350,000, or more than one in 15 people in Ireland, suffer from self-reported symptoms of long Covid. Characterised by symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain and brain fog, the condition is a long-term complication of Covid-19, with debilitating consequences for those who experience it. Crusheen native Steve Barrett has been living with long Covid symptoms since being hospitalised with Covid-19 in January 2022. He says the condition has forced him to make drastic changes in both his personal and professional life. Special leave with pay for healthcare workers with long covid was halted at the end of March, but has this week been reinstated by the Department of Health, and will apply retrospectively to April 1st,