Long Covid: What's changed, and what we know now

Many agelong Covid patients present study Omicron was their archetypal corruption - and I'm 1 of them.

But astir 3 years into the pandemic determination is inactive a conflict to beryllium seen by specializer clinics, which are hampered by a deficiency of resources and research.

Has the information changed astatine all, and person treatments started to progress?

An estimated 1.2m of those who answered the ONS survey reported astatine slightest 1 specified grounds continuing for much than 12 weeks - wellness issues that they didn't deliberation could beryllium explained by thing else.

However, the sheer standard of cases implicit the past twelvemonth has resulted successful much than a 3rd of radical with agelong Covid acquiring it during the Omicron wave, according to the ONS.

The symptoms reported by newer agelong Covid sufferers are inactive broadly similar: weakness oregon tiredness, trouble concentrating, shortness of enactment and musculus aches are mentioned astir often.

What mightiness beryllium astonishing is that for galore of these radical the severity of their agelong Covid has not diminished.

After going done a mild Covid corruption myself successful January, 2 weeks aft returning to enactment I rapidly went downhill and ended up taking a period disconnected enactment being intimately monitored by doctors and infirmary specialists.

Over the pursuing months I spent astir days successful furniture owed to fatigue and terrible associated pain, and struggled to locomotion much than a abbreviated region without thorax pain.

I experienced important cognitive issues with memory, code and hearing, developed pleurisy, and adjacent a reactivated Epstein-Barr microorganism liable for my long-forgotten bout of glandular fever much than a decennary ago.

I was officially diagnosed with agelong Covid aft 12 weeks and had gone from balancing a demanding occupation going into the bureau passim the pandemic alongside exercise, hobbies and nights retired to requiring assistance with basal tasks and seldom leaving my bedroom.

It's present been 10 months, and I inactive acquisition chronic pain, encephalon fog, and musculus twitching and I conflict to bash elemental housework oregon activities adjacent aft taking a prescribed cocktail of painkillers and supplements.

Patients similar maine are usually referred to post-Covid appraisal clinics aft experiencing symptoms for 12 weeks - however, waiting times person not improved overmuch wrong the past year.

The latest NHS England figures amusement 33% of Londoners fixed an archetypal appraisal had to hold 15 weeks oregon much from the clip of their referral, compared to 39% from a akin play successful 2021.

After waiting much than 19 weeks I was yet assessed successful August but was near feeling hopeless, with a one-hour Zoom telephone offering fare and symptom absorption proposal - but nary further investigations, referrals oregon treatment.

Despite this, probe efforts are gathering gait and 1 agelong Covid session successful cardinal London is taking portion successful a survey to summation a amended knowing of however wellness systems respond to radical surviving with the illness, and its effects.

The session astatine University College Hospital successful Fitzrovia is 1 of six sites taking portion successful the Stimulate ICP probe project.

Staff determination person seen 4,200 patients since May 2020 and connected mean 120 radical a week are treated, 40 of whom are caller referrals.

Dr Melissa Heightman, who runs the clinic, explained that patients statesman with a consultation to recognize their symptoms, and are past offered targeted attraction and rehabilitation.

There is nary 1 mentation arsenic to what causes agelong Covid, Dr Heightman said, but acknowledgment to the ongoing probe her squad are present "increasingly recognising the patterns of unwellness and they're not a astonishment to doctors".

"We're learning a batch astir this information and are truly uncovering improved ways to velocity up people's recovery," she said, adding: "One of the things we're looking astatine is whether medicines utilized successful akin scenarios could beryllium utilized for agelong Covid illness."

Sophia Pemberton, a 31-year-old peculiar needs teacher, had her archetypal assignment astatine the session aft surviving with symptoms since she caught Covid successful March 2020.

The schoolhouse wherever she worked remained unfastened passim the lockdowns, and Sophia explained that adjacent arsenic much radical caught Covid she "naively thought it'd beryllium conscionable similar a cold", until she became sick herself.

"Things conscionable didn't truly get immoderate better. It took months and months to physique up the stamina to get to the extremity of my street," she said.

Sophia experiences breathlessness, pain, fatigue, encephalon fog, musculus twitching, slumber problems and more, and has tried a assortment of symptom medications.

She has had to spell portion clip astatine enactment and "can't bash anything" erstwhile she gets location astatine the extremity of the day.

"I usage a walking assistance present due to the fact that my equilibrium has been severely affected," she said.

"It's implicit exhaustion to the constituent of not being capable to determination immoderate days; not being capable to assistance up a fork to provender myself."

The teacher said she had nary wellness issues earlier and utilized to play tons of sports, but present adjacent struggles to bash mundane tasks.

"Things that I took for granted, adjacent cooking and cleaning, I trust heavy connected my hubby for now. I didn't ever deliberation astatine my property that would beryllium necessary," she said.

The online enactment radical I beryllium to has much than 56,000 members and 1 taxable that leads discussions is wider acceptance of agelong Covid.

Many radical study falling retired with friends, household and adjacent their marriages breaking down owed to a deficiency of enactment oregon knowing astir their illness.

Some, including me, person besides been targeted by strangers connected nationalist transport due to the fact that they are taking measures to support themselves from re-infection by wearing a mask.

Sophia says that a deficiency of compassion for the information has besides made her beingness adjacent much difficult: "People don't get it. I'm perpetually having to explicate and it's truly hard to get done to people.

"To a ample grade radical privation Covid to beryllium over, and to perceive astir radical suffering doesn't truly compute with the thought that it's 'all gone' and successful the past."

For the 2 cardinal radical successful the UK estimated to beryllium dealing with the life-changing effects of the condition, they excessively privation that it was implicit - but are relying connected caller research, improved treatment, and kindness from others until that clip comes.