THE effects of long Covid have been highlighted by a Worcester GP who says he sees up to nine cases per day.

Dr Jason Seewoodhary, a GP at Barbourne Health Centre in Worcester, says “around 10 per cent of people with Covid-19 infection will develop long Covid” and that many do not realise ailments could be related to having had coronavirus.

Are you suffering with long Covid? Tell us your story, get in touch by emailing andy.mitchell@newsquest.co.uk

We run through the main things to look out for.

HOW LONG SHOULD RECOVERY FROM COVID-19 TAKE?

The NHS advises it is different for everyone but that “many people feel better in a few days or weeks and most will make a full recovery within 12 weeks”.

Data compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed around one in five Covid-19 sufferers exhibit symptoms for a period of five weeks or longer, while one in 10 exhibit symptoms for a period of 12 weeks or longer.

From that data, around 186,000 people in private households in England were said to be living with symptoms that had persisted for between five and 12 weeks.

MY SYMPTOMS WERE MILD – DOES THAT RULE OUT LONG COVID?

No. The chances of having long-term symptoms does not seem to be linked to how ill you were when you first contracted coronavirus.

“People who had mild symptoms at first can still have long-term problems,” says NHS advice.

WHAT SHOULD I BE LOOKING OUT FOR?

The most common problems five weeks after infection are constant tiredness, a cough and a headache, all of which are estimated to still affect one in 10 of all Covid-19 sufferers.

Loss of taste and smell are next on the list with shortness of breath affecting around one in 20 and two-to-three per cent experiencing less talked about symptoms to do with digestion and pain in the abdomen.

This table shows the percentage of people still experiencing problems five weeks after knowing they had been infected.

Fatigue 11.5

Cough 11.4

Headache 10.1

Loss of taste 8.2

Loss of smell 7.9

Myalgia (muscle/soft tissue aches and pains) 7.9

Sore throat 6.7

Fever 6.7

Shortness of breath 4.6

Nausea/vomiting 2.9

Diarrhoea 2.7

Abdominal pain 2.2

The NHS lists common long Covid symptoms as extreme tiredness (fatigue), shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, problems with memory and concentration (known as brain fog), difficulty sleeping (insomnia), heart palpitations, dizziness, pins and needles, joint pain, depression and anxiety, tinnitus, earache, feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach ache, loss of appetite, a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste and rashes.

AM I STILL CONTAGIOUS WITH LONG COVID?

Research suggests not.

RNA shedding, essentially you expelling the virus, happens through most parts of the body for up to 83 days but “no live virus was isolated from culture beyond day nine of symptoms despite persistently high viral RNA loads” according to one scientific study.

Cross referencing led to the conclusion that “this finding is supported by several studies demonstrating an association between viral load and viability of virus, with no successful culture from samples below a certain viral load threshold”.

It added: “These findings indicate that, in clinical practice, repeat testing might not be indicated to deem patients no longer infectious.”

SO WHAT DO I DO?

The NHS encourages those concerned about ongoing effects of Covid-19 after four weeks to contact their GP.

Dr Seewoodhary says “lots of nutrition, hydration and regular medical reviews with your GP” and that slow recovery is aided by “rest, symptomatic treatment and gradually increasing physical activity”.

He advises “trying to stop smoking and limiting the intake of caffeine and alcohol” and added: “Patients should be encouraged to purchase a pulse oximeter, which is a simple instrument placed on the finger that records oxygen levels.

“If this is low then you should seek urgent medical advice.”

  • Are you suffering with long Covid? Tell us your story, get in touch by emailing andy.mitchell@newsquest.co.uk