380,000 in UK have long had Covid for at least a year, survey finds

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An estimated 380,000 people in the UK have suffered a long Covid for at least a year, according to new figures which also suggest there has been a slight drop in cases.

The figures, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), are based on responses collected from people living in private households in the four weeks leading up to July 4.

They also estimate that during the period of investigation a total of 945,000 people in the UK experienced long-term Covid defined as symptoms that persisted for more than four weeks after their first suspected coronavirus infection. However, this was a slight decrease from the 962,000 in the previous ONS study in June.

The number of people suffering from Covid long for at least a year was also lower than in the previous survey, where it stood at 385,000.

Long Covid is estimated to negatively affect the daily activities of 611,000 people, just under two-thirds of those who have self-reported the disease. And 182,000 said their ability to undertake daily activities was severely limited.

According to the ONS, fatigue was the most common symptom (528,000 people), followed by shortness of breath (388,000), muscle pain (296,000) and loss of smell (285,000).

The prevalence of self-reported long-term Covid was highest among people aged 35 to 69, women, people living in the most disadvantaged areas, people working in health or social services and those suffering from ” another health problem or disability limiting activities.

There is no universally accepted description of the long Covid, but it covers a wide range of symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, and difficulty concentrating.

Esther Crawley, professor of child health at the University of Bristol, said: Although long Covid in children and young people is less common than in adults, the estimated number of people disabled by long self-reported Covid is concerning.

For example, it is estimated that 0.47% of young people aged 12 to 16 have self-reported a long Covid, and 0.3% of young people aged 12 to 16 (so about half of those who self-report -declare long Covid) have their activity limited a little or a lot.

This concerns the whole population of adolescents aged 12 to 16 and therefore represents a very large number in the UK.

As the number of children and young people who contract Covid increases, this number developing long-term Covid is also likely to increase.

Meanwhile, overall rates of Covid-19 cases in England among all age groups continue to decline, Public Health England said.

The highest rate was among those aged 20 to 29, with 611.0 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to August 1, down slightly from 629.3.

The second highest rate was among 10-19 year olds, dropping from 669.1 to 512.4. The lowest rate was among those aged 80 and over: 62.3, compared with 69.1.

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