LONG COVID

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest that 1.3 million people (2% of the UK adult population) were experiencing self-reported ‘long COVID’ in December 2021¹. Significantly, more than half a million people said they had persistent symptoms at least 12 months after first having COVID-19. 

Long COVID is defined as symptoms persisting for more than four weeks after the first suspected COVID-19 infection that are not explained by some other cause. Of people with self-reported long COVID: 

• 270,000 (21%) first had (or suspected they had) COVID-19 less than 12 weeks previously 
• 892,000 people (70%) first had/suspected they had COVID-19 at least 12 weeks previously 
• 506,000 (40%) first had/suspected they had COVID-19 at least one year previously 
• fatigue was the most commonly reported symptom (reported by 51% with long COVID), followed by loss of smell (37%), shortness of breath (36%) and difficulty concentrating (28%) 
• proportionally, long COVID was more common in people aged 35–69, women, those living in more deprived areas, people working in healthcare, social care or education, and those with another health impairment or disability. 

An estimated 809,000 people (64% of those with self-reported long COVID) believed that they had symptoms that adversely affected their day-to-day activities. In total, 247,000 (20%) people reported that the impact had been significant (activities were ‘limited a lot’) – of whom 112,000 had symptoms that had lasted at least 52 weeks. The self-reported estimates were derived from people responding to a representative survey, rather than through clinical diagnoses. 

An evidence review on returning to work after long COVID has been published by the HSE². It summarises scientific evidence published up to the end of March 2021, but is based on just seven research papers meeting inclusion criteria. ‘There is a global need for large and long-term cohort studies with mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) in order to better understand the long-term consequences of COVID-19,’ the report concludes.  

The review recommends following existing long COVID return-to-work guidelines published by the Faculty of Occupational Medicine³.

1. Prevalence of ongoing symptoms following coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the UK: 6 January 2022. Newport: ONS, 2022 
2. Return to work after long COVID: Evidence at 8th March 2021. Evidence Report ER003. Bootle: HSE, 2021 
3. Guidance for healthcare professionals on return to work for patients with long COVID. London: FOM, 2021