Nearly 1.7 million people in the UK, equivalent to 2.7 per cent of the population, were experiencing self-reported long Covid as of March 2022, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
According to the ONS, 422,000 adults with self-reported long Covid initially had or assumed they had Covid-19 less than 12 weeks ago, 69 per cent had it at least 12 weeks ago, 45 per cent had it at least one year ago, and 4 per cent had it at least two years ago.
Long Covid symptoms restricted 67 per cent of those with self-reported symptoms in their daily activities, with 19 per cent indicating their ability to do so was “very limited.”
Shortness of breath, loss of smell, and muscle discomfort were the most common long Covid symptoms.
People aged 35 to 49 years, females, people living in more deprived areas, those working in social care, teaching and education, or health care, and those with another activity-limiting health condition or disability had the highest prevalence of self-reported long Covid.
According to group insurance providers, long Covid has ranked the third highest cause of claims this year.
Canada Life head of claims, group insurance Ian Ranger says: “Today’s long-covid analysis by the ONS mirrors our own experience as the largest group protection provider in the UK where we have seen long covid rank as the third-highest cause of referral this year.
“We are finding that individuals suffering from long Covid are not only struggling physically but may also have issues from a psychological and cognitive perspective. They may be suffering from a wide range of symptoms and as the length of absence increases the challenges increase. Their support needs are vast and our rehabilitation support is therefore catered to the individual.
“Our team have been engaging in more frequent employee contact, engaging in coaching techniques and have developed comprehensive literature and rehabilitation programmes to support employees with the eventual goal of returning back to work. The nature of an individual’s symptoms often means that these returns need to be protracted and therefore we are working in lockstep with employers to guide them along this journey.”