About 2 million folks in England and Scotland say they’re experiencing lengthy Covid, figures reveal, with many reporting their signs have lasted two years or longer.
The findings had been launched by the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics (ONS) and canopy the interval from November 2023 to March 2024, revealing of those that reported having lengthy Covid, about 1.5 million folks – about three-quarters– felt their day-to-day actions had been affected, whereas 381,000 folks – a couple of fifth – mentioned their skill to undertake such actions had been “restricted lots”.
Of those that reported the date their lengthy Covid signs started, 71.1% mentioned they began not less than a yr earlier than, 51.3% mentioned it was not less than two years in the past and for 30.6% it was not less than three years beforehand.
Prevalence was highest amongst these aged 45 to 64, ladies, folks not working or in search of work, and people within the north-west of England.
“Our outcomes present that whereas the height of the pandemic has handed, the virus continues to have an effect,” mentioned James Tucker, the deputy director of the winter Covid an infection survey on the ONS.
Dr Simon Williams, a behavioural scientist and public well being researcher at Swansea College, mentioned the findings indicated an absolute public well being disaster: “It might not be an acute disaster like we noticed in 2020-21 and the early peaks of pre-vaccination Covid, nevertheless it’s extra of an ongoing persistent disaster.
“Fortunately attributable to vaccines, dying charges and hospitalisations attributable to acute an infection are and can possible stay low. However lengthy Covid is sadly an issue that can not be ignored.” He added: “If 5 years in the past, we had been to think about {that a} utterly new illness, which for some could cause medium- to long-term, and doubtlessly disabling signs in roughly 3% of the inhabitants, which is what the brand new figures recommend, we might be enormously involved.”
Williams mentioned the findings had vital implications, not simply on the day-to-day well being and high quality of lifetime of these affected by lengthy Covid, but in addition on the NHS and the financial system at massive.
“We’re concurrently seeing excessive charges of labor illness and financial exercise – with unwell well being a substantial issue,” he mentioned. “And so the truth that we now have a illness which is to some extent inflicting signs and purposeful impairment as much as two years or longer after an infection is regarding.
“We have to proceed to take a position closely in analysis to higher perceive and deal with lengthy Covid, in addition to to supply assist for these struggling.”
