One in 50 thought to have long Covid

There has been a rapid increase in the number of people reporting long-term health complications after coronavirus, with around one in 50 people in the UK now thought to be suffering with long Covid.

An estimated 1.3 million people – 2% of the population – were experiencing symptoms of long Covid as of 6 December 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Of these, 40% (506,000 people) first had Covid-19 at least 12 months previously. This is an increase of 15% on the number who said the same during a previous survey covering the four-week period ending 31 October 2021 (439,000 people).

Almost two-thirds of those who self-reported having long Covid – defined as symptoms persisting for more than four weeks after the first Covid-19 infection – said their condition had affected their ability to carry out daily activities, which could extend to work. A fifth said their ability to undertake daily tasks had been “limited a lot”.

The most common symptoms of long Covid reported by survey participants included fatigue (51%), loss of smell (37%), shortness of breath (36%), and difficulty concentrating (28%).

Because a multitude of symptoms have been linked to long Covid – with a UCL-led study identifying 203 symptoms across 10 organ systems – as well as little being known about how to treat the condition, occupational health practitioners will need to look at each case individually before deciding how to support them, said Steve Herbert, head of benefits strategy at Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing.

“The reality is that long Covid is still not widely understood, and therefore treatments are very much a work in progress, and will probably vary from one individual case to another,” he said.  “So occupational health professionals will need to treat each case on its merits to achieve the best outcomes for both employee and employer.”

He warned that organisations should be prepared for an increase in long Covid-related absences, given the rapid rise in the number of people experiencing long term symptoms and the recent high infection rates over the festive period.

In the previous ONS survey (ended 31 October 2021) an estimated 1.2 million were experiencing long Covid symptoms. In the four weeks ended 2 September 2021, this figure was 1 million.

Herbert said: “Many employers will already be managing some year-long long-Covid absences, but it now seems likely that the numbers of such cases may increase significantly in the months ahead.

“This is because the full impact of the longer form of Covid infections has yet to be felt from the delta wave last year, or indeed the vast number of infections of omicron infections taking place this year.

“Employers and HR professionals should prepare for this eventuality by ensuring that every form of support available within their employee benefits and sick pay policy is promoted and used as soon as they are aware of any such cases.”

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The prevalence of self-reported long Covid was greatest in working age people. An estimated 196,000 people aged 50 to 69, and 149,000 people aged 35 to 49, claimed they had long Covid symptoms a year on, according to the December survey figures.

The ONS analysis was based on 351,850 responses to its Covid infection survey.