More people with Long Covid in physical rehabilitation

Physiotherapists in the Netherlands are currently treating over 120,000 people with Long Covid, compared to 60,000 in May last year, NU.nl reports based on figures from the Dutch society for physiotherapy KNGF. "And another 80,000 Dutch people have had physiotherapy for months but have now recovered," a KNGF spokesperson said to the newspaper.

People with Long Covid have symptoms and complaints for months after their coronavirus infection. The most common complaints include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, headache, palpitations, prolonged loss of smell or taste, depression, and forgetfulness. 

On average, physiotherapists treat Long Covid patients for three months. "But there are striking outliers. For example, some people regularly have to go to physio for more than six months," the spokesperson said to NU.nl.

Under a Ministry of Public Health scheme, Long Covid patients can get care like physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and dietetics reimbursed from the basic health insurance package under certain conditions. The scheme was set to expire in August 2021 but was extended by a year.