Long Covid, or post-Covid-19 syndrome, is a prolonged persistence of symptoms associated with a coronavirus (Covid-19) infection which extends beyond the typical recovery period of around two weeks. Symptoms are wide ranging, but commonly include fatigue, breathlessness, chest pain and problems with memory and concentration or “brain fog”. ONS data in September 2021 suggested that, of UK people with self-reported long Covid, 817,000 (84%) first had (or suspected they had) Covid-19 at least 12 weeks previously and, for 384,000 (40%), at least one year previously. These pages provide news and guidance on the impact of long Covid as individuals, the medical profession and employers start to understand it.
Occupational health assessments are becoming one of the most important tools in the employer armoury for managing and supporting long Covid, research has suggested.