New figures have shown there are now more Scots living with long Covid than there are residents in Aberdeen.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed today 204,000 people in Scotland are now living with the condition, several thousand above the 2020 population of Aberdeen which was about 198,500.
The figures from this month show 75,000 people have been living with long Covid for more than a year.
Nearly three-quarters of all Scots with long Covid say it affects aspects of their lives, including the ability to work and enjoy a good quality of life. Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) is calling on the Scottish Government to do more to help those affected.
This includes rolling out a digital referral system across the country to integrate NHS and CHSS support services, providing better training for healthcare professionals, and improving health board capacity.
Allan Cowie, interim chief executive at CHSS, said: "Despite most people believing Covid is over, the number of people living with long Covid has more than doubled in the last year, which is a major public health concern for Scotland.
"The Scottish Government has promised to help people with long Covid but many are still struggling to get a diagnosis, to get back to work and enjoy everyday activities like going for a walk or spending time with their families.
"People who are seeing very little improvement in their health 12 months after getting Covid are scared and need help. There needs to be more urgency on this. Things just aren't joined up at all.
"We need to see more innovation and joined up thinking like the work NHS Lothian are doing to better connect people with the support they need, and this approach needs to be replicated across the country. We need to see more capacity and training to make sure people get quick access to tests and any beneficial treatments.
"People have been living with long Covid for years now and little progress has been made to build services around their needs. People deserve action."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
