Blackpool man calls for more support for people with Long Covid one year after coma

Correspondent Rob Smith has the latest on Long Covid in the North West.

A man who spent five weeks in a coma is calling for more support for people still feeling the effects of Long Covid. 

Tushar Das, from Bispham in Blackpool, spent more than a month on a ventilator, and 84 days in hospital after he contracted coronavirus in October 2020.

He was finally able to leave hospital in January 2021.

Tushar says he still gets out of breath walking, his eyes are scarred and he suffers constant flashbacks where he is fighting for his life. 

Despite not one part of his lungs escaping scarring, Tushar says he is still waiting for an appointment at a Long Covid clinic.

He has found support other ways in the NHS and privately, but he wants health chiefs and politicians to do more.

Tushar told ITV Granada Reports: "I didn't think it would take so long. They need to address it as a matter of urgency.

"They need to speak to the NHS, the clinicians, the nurses, the clinical psychologists - there needs to be a network group to deal with these issues urgently because there are people far worse off than me."

Latest figures show 2,260 people were referred to specialist post-virus teams in the North West in the five months to November last year.

ITV Granada approached NHS England for a comment but did not receive a reply.

What is Long Covid?

Long Covid is used to describe symptoms that last for longer than 4 weeks after someone contracts Covid-19.

In many cases, these can be worse than the initial infection, and can include a wide range of debilitating symptoms. The most common include:

• brain fog

• extreme fatigue

• muscle pain

• chest pains or tightness in the chest

• palpitations

• dizziness

• a numb or stinging feeling in the limbs

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