About 2 million individuals 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 have 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 individuals – about three-quarters– felt their day-to-day actions have been affected, whereas 381,000 individuals – a couple of fifth – mentioned their potential to undertake such actions had been “restricted so much”.
Of those that reported the date their lengthy Covid signs started, 71.1% mentioned they began a minimum of a yr earlier than, 51.3% mentioned it was a minimum of two years in the past and for 30.6% it was a minimum of three years beforehand.
Prevalence was highest amongst these aged 45 to 64, girls, individuals 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 will not be an acute disaster like we noticed in 2020-21 and the early peaks of pre-vaccination Covid, but it surely’s extra of an ongoing persistent disaster.
“Fortunately on account of vaccines, loss of life charges and hospitalisations on account of acute an infection are and can seemingly stay low. However lengthy Covid is sadly an issue that can not be ignored.” He added: “If 5 years in the past, we have been to think about {that a} utterly new illness, which for some may cause medium- to long-term, and probably 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 important 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 ailing 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 useful 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 raised perceive and deal with lengthy Covid, in addition to to offer assist for these struggling.”