MORE than 100,000 people in the North West are suffering with long Covid, latest figures reveal.

An estimated 138,000 (1.94 per cent) of people in the region were living with the condition in the four-week period ending March 6 2021, according to data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

That compares to the national average of 1.69 per cent of people across the UK with the condition, 1.1 million people.

In response to the stark figures, Oldham East and Saddleworth MP, Debbie Abrahams, is calling for more support for long Covid sufferers.

Ms Abrahams, who is the vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Coronavirus, said: “These figures reveal the wide-scale impact of long Covid in Oldham, and across the region as a whole, and the urgent need for the government to step up support."

Of the 1.1 million people living with the condition, 674,000 said that long Covid symptoms were adversely affecting their day-to-day activities, while 196,000 reported that their ability to undertake daily activities had been limited a lot.

The analysis also found that care workers experienced the highest rates of self-reported long Covid. Over one in 28 (3.6 per cent) of those working in health care had long Covid, along with almost one in 32 (3.1 per cent) of those working in social care.

Prevalence rates of self-reported long Covid were also higher in those aged 35 to 69 years, females and those living in the most deprived areas.

Ms Abrahams added:“Long Covid patients have felt like the forgotten victims of this pandemic. The government must end the current postcode lottery of rehabilitation services and ensure all those who need long-term treatment can access it.

“We also need a compensation scheme for key workers with long Covid, who have worked tirelessly on the frontline against the pandemic and are now paying a heavy price.”

The APPG on Coronavirus is calling on the government to set up a compensation scheme for key workers, including care staff, living with long Covid and demanding an end to the current “postcode lottery” of support for long Covid sufferers.