Long Covid causing one-in-10 Brits who catch virus more than a year of suffering
Long Covid affects as many as one in ten people who catch the virus with tens of thousands suffering for at least a year, a landmark study into the mystery syndrome has shown.
The REACT study, which helped inform pandemic decisions by showing the prevalence of immunity in the population of England, has now analysed data to show who is most at risk from lasting symptoms. Follow-up results from a representative sample of 277,000 people suggest almost five million Brits struggled to shake the virus at least four weeks after catching it.
The study highlighting the lasting legacy of the pandemic showed 10.2% who caught the virus had lasting symptoms for at least a month, 7.5% for at least three months and 5.2% for more than a year. Importantly, the data also showed post-Omicron variants are less likely to trigger Long Covid.
Brenda Eadie has been sacked by the health board after contracting Covid at work (Alasdair MacLeod/Daily Record)
The 45-year-old former 'gym bunny' says she is now left bedbound for days if she over exerts herselfIt comes as sufferers tell the Mirror they have lost their jobs and been left destitute due to debilitating symptoms including crippling fatigue and dementia-like brain fog. Brenda Eadie, 46, of Glasgow, lost her job as a prison nurse because of Long Covid and now relies on a mobility scooter.
She suffers debilitating fatigue and dementia-like brain fog and has gone on to develop emphysema and some organ paralysis. She told the Mirror: “Long Covid is the country’s next crisis because so many professional working people are going down with it. I feel like my body is deteriorating and slowly dying. It’s just shutting down and it’s terrifying.”
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UK Labour force data today confirms the percentage of the population now deemed ‘economically inactive’ has increased to 21%. Previously a weight-training "gym bunny", Brenda caught Covid-19 in March 2022, while employed by the NHS as a nurse, treating prison inmates. Back then Delta was the dominant variant.
She said: “I used to do weight training, water sports and horse riding. Now I can’t even walk down the street because I’m so out of breath it’s overpowering. I get pain just eating. I don’t have any enjoyment in my life apart from my pet dog. I’ve lost everything.”
The Office for National Statistics estimated in March that 1.9 million Brits - or 3% of the population - had some lasting Covid symptoms. The Mirror visited the UK’s first Long Covid clinic earlier this year and revealed NHS estimates that around 400,000 have significant disability and would benefit from this specialist care.
However only around 100,000 have presented to the NHS and been able to get treatment. The new study highlighted that a sizeable proportion still fully recovered after a prolonged period with Long Covid.
People were more likely to report symptoms for a long time after their initial infection if they were female, had severe initial symptoms, were infected earlier in the pandemic, or had pre-existing health conditions.
Study lead Prof Paul Elliott, of Imperial College London, said: “We find that the variant people are infected with, the initial severity of their symptoms, and whether they have pre-existing health conditions all have an impact on whether they will develop lasting symptoms.”
First author Dr Christina Atchison said: “Compared to wild type virus, those infected when Omicron was dominant were far less likely to report symptoms lasting beyond 12 weeks. This may reflect the changing levels of immunity in the population from previous exposure to the virus and vaccination.”
The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.
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