‘They have been left and ignored’: Children suffering from long Covid to meet Health Secretary Humza Yousaf

Families impacted by long Covid will meet Health Secretary Humza Yousaf today.

Helen Goss’s daughter Anna Hendry has been battling a raft of health problems since the family fell ill with the virus in March 2020.

Today, the family – and others – will meet Mr Yousaf through the charity Long Covid Kids to raise awareness of the issues.

Ms Goss, from Westhill, is hoping that once the health secretary sees the children it “will spur them into action”.

‘I do not want to live like this’

Over the past two years, Anna has been struggling with daily headaches, extreme fatigue, insomnia and poor concentration.

She told BBC’s Good Morning Scotland today: “Now I need to wheelchair because I’m too tired and my legs are so painful if I walk.

“I sit at home every day feeling sick and ill and so exhausted in pain and I can’t do anything.

“It’s boring and depressing.

“I want to be normal and healthy again.

“I do not want to live like this.”

‘It’s like wading through treacle with the government’

Ms Goss told the Press and Journal today: “They have no support, no education. They’ve all had referrals denied or knocked back. The NHS and social care are not providing the care needed for these children.

“There is only so much sympathetic nods and glances will get you.

“We don’t want sympathy. We want to see action.

“It’s like wading through treacle with the government.”

Many of the children attending the meeting had no prior health conditions before catching long Covid.

Plea to Scottish Government

The charity Long Covid Kids currently supports 10,000 families suffering from the illness.

The children attending the meeting today have all written letters to Humza Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon asking for help.

Earlier this year, Ms Goss and Anna traveled to Downing Street to help campaign for more support and research for the condition.

Ms Goss said: “We really want the government to invest in research to understand the pathology behind long Covid.

“They need to find treatments, they need to find medications that are going to work.

“They need to find something, anything.”