Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy on all that. The good news, as he said, is that for the vast majority of people, a relatively short amount of rehabilitation and health support leads to full recovery.

I have met patients whose lives have just been turned upside down. I have met patients in my own constituency. I have met patients in Tallaght hospital who are being treated in the long Covid clinic there and they are just devastated. They have gone from healthy active people, and, in some cases, healthy active mums and dads, to not being able to get up the stairs or get to the shops. For those whom long Covid affects badly, it can be absolutely devastating.

Obviously, it is an evolving area. HIQA conducted a thorough review last year to inform the model of care that we are putting in place but this will be an evolving area. The HSE has a new survey in place and the European Commission is also putting together a high-level informal network so that member states can learn from each other and update the service provision for people as we learn more.

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