Long COVID and the importance of the doctor-patient relationship

A pandemic was declared in March 2020, due to a novel virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was initially reported that COVID-19 infection could cause dramatic variation in clinical outcome, from asymptomatic infection through to multi-organ failure and death. Early data reported that 17% of people hospitalised due to COVID-19 would require intensive care, and 32% of these people would die.1,2 Nationally, and internationally, planning focused on identifying and managing the very sick, and reducing people’s exposure to the virus. In primary care, in the UK, there was a move to remote consulting, with the majority of consultations being conducted by telephone or video, and face-to-face consultations being in the minority for the first time in the history of the NHS.3 The prominence of NHS 111 to differentiate between the ‘sick’ and ‘not sick’, and setting up ‘hot hubs’ for assessment of people suspected of having COVID-19 in the community, changed the face of primary care.