Long Covid Symptoms, Treatment & Financial help

What is long Covid? 

Here is a summary of long Covid symptoms, treatments including how to find a long Covid clinic, and what financial help you can get.

If you become infected with Covid, your symptoms could be mild and last around two weeks after which time you recover. While most people who get infected recover quickly, you could experience long-term health problems months after initial infection. 

Long Covid has been defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the continuation or development of new symptoms three months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection (the coronavirus that causes Covid-19).

These symptoms last for at least two months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis. 

Who is affected by long Covid? 

Long Covid can affect anyone exposed to Covid-19, regardless of age, level of fitness or the severity of their initial infection.  

Even if you are fit and healthy and have never been severely ill with Covid-19 can experience long Covid.

People with long Covid are often referred to as ‘long haulers’.

How common is it? 

Studies reveal that 10–20% of people infected by Covid -19 may go on to develop symptoms that can be diagnosed as long Covid.

You can check out the latest long Covid data from the government’s Office of National Statistics.

What are long Covid symptoms? 

Long Covid has been linked to over 200 symptoms and conditions. A person’s symptoms can change over time. 

Long Covid in children can reveal itself as fatigue, shortness of breath, headaches, trouble with school work, change in mood and other symptoms.

Covid-19 can attack the body many ways, causing damage to the lungs, heart, nervous system, kidneys, liver and other organs. 

Common long Covid symptoms include: 

• Respiratory difficulties such as breathlessness or a cough. 
• Heart problems such as chest tightness, chest pain, heart palpitations. 
• Neurological issues such as headaches, dizziness, sudden confusion, hallucinations, mobility issues, problems sleeping, difficulties with or problems with eyesight, pins and needles, numbness. Cognitive decline can cause loss of concentration and short-term memory loss, known as brain fog, which causes someone to struggle to remember things like how to get home or find the words they want to say.    
• Muscle pain, spasms, joint pain.
• Psychological symptoms: feelings of helplessness, low mood, depression, anxiety, PTSD and suicidal thoughts.
• Ear nose and throat symptoms: earache, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), sore throat, loss of taste, loss of smell, familiar things smelling or tasting bad, strange or different. 
• Stomach and digestive system-related symptoms such as feeling sick, diarrhoea, weight loss, abdominal pain and reduced appetite.
• Skin-related symptoms – Rashes, hair loss. 
• Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) symptoms is a condition that a condition that affects blood circulation. It can cause an abnormal increase in heart rate that happens after standing up and causes light headedness, palpitations and fatigue.
• Other symptoms include fever and extreme tiredness that causes difficulty doing daily tasks like walking for long or brushing teeth. Worsening fatigue can cause ‘crashing’ or ‘relapsing’ after minimal exertion.       

Can vaccines prevent long Covid?

To avoid getting long Covid, it is better to prevent infection with Covid-19. 
Getting fully Covid vaccinated and boosted is effective in reducing the risk of developing long Covid.

A February 2022 evidence review by the UK Health Security Agency found that people vaccinated after developing long Covid reported an improvement in symptoms (straight away or over several weeks), compared to unvaccinated people.

How do you diagnose long Covid? 

The diagnosis of long Covid is largely made based on symptoms because there is no diagnostic blood test.

How can you treat long Covid?

There is no single treatment or medication that can be used to treat long Covid. However, there are treatments that could relieve some symptoms. 

Treatment may include: 

• Physiotherapy for improved lung function and increased strength. 
• Medication to relieve symptoms such as pain, headaches or coughs. 
• Treatment for diabetes, heart disease and other serious conditions affected by long Covid.
• Olfactory training to help regain sense of smell.
• Speech and language therapy to boost communication. 
• Counselling for mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. 
• Relaxation methods to tackle sleep problems.   

Where can I find a long Covid clinic? 

Talk to your GP about each of your symptoms and how they can be managed. 
Your GP may suggest some tests to rule out other things that could causing your symptoms.

Tests can include checking your blood pressure and heart rate, blood tests, a chest X-ray, an ECG, or measuring your blood oxygen levels using a pulse oximetry. Exercise tolerance tests can include, for example, a sit-to-stand test. 

Your doctor may refer you to a specialist who can help treat your individual symptoms. They may refer you to a long Covid clinic. 

A long Covid clinic brings together doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists to offer physical, cognitive and psychological assessments, diagnostic tests, and onward referral for rehabilitation and other support.

Long Covid clinics have opened in:

• England. long Covid clinics in England. 
• Wales. long Covid clinics in Wales.  
• You can find out about long Covid clinics in Northern Ireland.     
• There are no long Covid clinics in Scotland. Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland have a long Covid advice line you can call on 0808 801 0899.

In England and Northern Ireland, you can go to a long Covid clinic if you are referred by a GP or another healthcare professional. In Wales, you are advised to see your GP before referring yourself to a long Covid clinic. 

How can you get support at home?

If you need care and support at home and you are living in England, you can find out what help you can get by requesting a care needs assessment from your local authority. 

Your local authority may be able to help you to receive home care, make adaptations to your home including providing care equipment. 

Home adaptations can include getting a stairlift, adding grab rails to your bath and bed, fitting a bath lift, installing a walk-in shower or bath, fitting a step rail, installing an outdoor ramp and widening doorways in your home. 

You can also read our guide to local authority care needs assessments. 

What financial help is available? 

If you have long Covid, you may be able to claim benefits. If you are already claiming benefits, you may be entitled to an increased amount.

• Attendance Allowance helps with extra costs if you have a disability severe enough that you need someone to help look after you.
• You can apply for Personal Independence Payment if you have difficulty with everyday tasks and getting around.
• If you are employed, you may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). 
• If you’re not eligible or your SSP ends, you may be able to apply for Universal Credit. 
• You may be eligible for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if long Covid affects how much you can work. ESA gives you money to help with living costs and help to get back to work if you are able to. 
• You can also check out this government support for long Covid.

Couple bedbound for a year   

Ex-nurse Claire Hooper says: “When we first got Covid we were like ‘Oh well good! We’ve got it out the way then. We’ll have it now, we’ll be under the weather for a couple of weeks’.”

She laughs when she thinks how 14 months later, the impact of the virus forced her to have to lie down after brushing her teeth. It left Claire unable to leave the house alone in case she got lost.

You can listen to Claire Hooper and her partner Antony Loveless’ story about being bedbound with long Covid in Episode 26 of the Let’s Talk About Care podcast.