How do lingering COVID-19 symptoms affect your quality of life?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-10-25 02:00

International

What does this mean?

Jump to: MultimediaAttachmentsExpert Reaction

One in 20 people who had symptomatic COVID-19 may still be affected a year later, according to British research. Over 250,000 people involved in a British COVID-19 study filled out a questionnaire about their experiences with the virus; with about 130,000 of the participants reporting at least one COVID-19 infection. The researchers say one in 10 people who had symptomatic COVID-19 had symptoms for over a month, one in 13 for more than three months and one in 20 for more than a year. Women, those with pre-existing health conditions, financial disadvantage, more severe initial infection or infection early in the pandemic were more likely to have long term symptoms, they say. The researchers add that while physical and mental health levels differed greatly between those with ongoing COVID-19 symptoms and those who'd never tested positive, participants whose COVID-19 symptoms had resolved were in similar health to those who hadn't reported a COVID-19 infection.