Coronavirus: Long covid

Background

Some people who are infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, experience symptoms after the acute stage of the illness has passed. Long covid is a term used to describe ongoing symptoms of Covid-19, or new symptoms that develop after a Covid-19 infection. People with long covid can experience a wide range of symptoms affecting different parts of the body. Research exploring the causes of the condition and potential treatment options is ongoing.

In March 2023, an estimated 1.9 million people in the UK reported that they were experiencing long covid, representing 2.9% of the population. Of these, 1.3 million had symptoms that had lasted for more than a year and 762,000 had symptoms lasting for more than two years. Fatigue was the most common symptom (reported by 72% of those with long covid), followed by difficulty concentrating (51%), muscle ache (49%) and shortness of breath (48%).

Some groups of people are more affected than others. In this survey, the prevalence of long covid was higher for those with pre-existing health conditions than those without them. Long covid prevalence increased with age and level of socioeconomic deprivation and was slightly higher for women than men.

NHS guidance and services for long covid

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance on managing the long-term effects of Covid-19 in 2020 and updated this guidance in November 2021. Its recommendations state that people presenting with symptoms of long covid should be offered guidance and support for managing their symptoms and may also be referred to a specialist.

In July 2022, NHS England published the NHS plan for improving long covid services, which set out a strategy for establishing long covid services with access to specialist diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.

The UK Government states it has invested £314 million to provide care for people with long covid and has established over 100 specialised long covid services for adults, children and young people across England. Further information, including a list of NHS trusts providing specialist services, can be found on the NHS England website.

Information about support available in Scotland can be found on the NHS Inform website. The Welsh Government website provides information on support available to people with long covid. Information on getting support for long covid in Northern Ireland is signposted on the patient-facing NI Direct webpage on Covid-19.

Impact of long covid on healthcare, employment and education

Concerns about the impact of long covid on healthcare services centre on the cost of providing services for long covid patients and the impact of long covid on the NHS workforce. The British Medical Association, the trade union for doctors, has called for a range of measures, including financial support and improved services for doctors and healthcare staff affected by long covid.

The Society of Occupational Medicine has noted the widespread impact that long covid has had on the workforce (PDF) and called for organisations to review their absence management and flexible working practices to help support employees. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) has a guidance page Whether long covid is a disability that discusses this question in detail.

The Government has acknowledged that long covid can affect children’s school attendance and that affected children may need additional support to access full-time education. Since the relaxation of restrictions on schools imposed during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been concerns about increased absence from school. The Library briefing School attendance in England provides more information on this topic.

Calls for greater recognition and support

Patients, charities and healthcare professionals have raised concerns about recognition and awareness of long covid, and difficulties in accessing appropriate medical assessments and support.

Patient-led support groups like Long Covid SOS, Long Covid Support and Long Covid Kids have been established to provide information and help people affected by long covid. These groups work to highlight the impact of the condition and campaign for greater awareness of long covid, improved services and more research. These groups are also contributing evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.