Long Covid symptoms affect three in 50 adults in the UK – the symptoms to spot

GMB: Carol Vorderman discusses long Covid

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The Office for National Statistics (ONS) surveyed people affected with long Covid and found six in 10 patients suffer with ongoing symptoms. The ONS found the lingering symptoms affected a person’s general wellbeing, including their ability to do their job.

The startling figures suggest a long-lasting impact both financially and socially could be apparent from COVID-19 even after recovery.

Long COVID is a condition wherein people continue to experience COVID-19 symptoms for longer than usual after initially contracting the virus.

The most common long Covid indicators include fatigue, physical or mental exertion, and brain fog.

Some other more uncommon symptoms included visual hallucinations, itchy skin, shingles, blurred vision and tinnitus.

How long are long Covid symptoms?

Some health experts have suggested that people with mild cases of COVID-19 usually recover within one to two weeks of contracting the initial COVID-19 infection.

For severe cases of COVID-19, recovery can take six weeks or longer.

Currently, scientists’ class post-acute COVID-19 as symptoms extending beyond three weeks since onset and chronic COVID-19 as symptoms extending beyond 12 weeks since onset.

The Government earlier this week launched a study with the National Institute for Health Research to develop new diagnosis and treatment tools.

Current research has found that long Covid is more prevalent in deprived areas.

Age is another important factor, with people under 50 seeing a higher risk of enduring effects from the disease.

Patients with long Covid have reported more than 200 symptoms affecting 10 organ systems, according to a study.

Researchers surveyed 3,762 people from 56 countries who joined the Body Politic online COVID-19 support group and reported coronavirus-like symptoms between December 2019 and May 2020.

In total, around 203 different symptoms were reported, with 66 identified for the whole seven-month period.

The most common were fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and cognitive dysfunction – often referred to as brain fog.

More than 120 scientists warned of the risks of the Government’s plan in a letter for the “Lancet” medical journal on July 7, saying that it “risks creating a generation left with chronic health problems and disability, the personal and economic impacts of which might be felt for decades to come.”

Scientists have previously accused the UK Government of ignoring the long Covid threat.

Medical experts say it could be one of the most damaging consequence to the economy.

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