ONS: ‘Long Covid’ has hit around 1m Brits, with effects lasting a year
“Long Covid” has struck around 1m people in private households in the UK, in the four weeks to 2 May, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Of the 1m long covid sufferers, an estimated 869,000 said they first had Covid-19 or thought they had the virus at least 12 weeks prior to feeling its longer effects.
Meanwhile, 376,000 reported first having the virus or suspected of having the virus at least one year ago – suggesting long Covid can last upwards of a year.
The prolonged symptoms have made day-to-day activities for 650,000 people harder, according to the data, with 192,000 reporting that their ability to do daily activities has been limited a lot.
The ONS said there has been a “marked increase” in the number of self-reported long Covid cases, which have lasted for at least a year.
Earlier data, which covered the four weeks to 6 March this year, suggested 70,000 people in private households had noted symptoms of long Covid for a minimum of 12 months – triggered by the first wave of infections in late February early March.