The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released its latest estimates of how many people in England and Scotland are living with Long Covid using the recent Winter Infection Survey.
I had Covid in November 2020. And whilst I knew that my life would not be in danger the resultant Long Covid effect has taken it's toll. I could go back to work but there were various things that made it more of a niggle. Especially the fact that if my brain was not engaged in any way I was liable to want to sleep much more than I did before. I found myself drinking Lucozade seemingly by the gallon
It's what I call Quiet Long Covid and I suspect I'm not the only one who has experienced this.
Many thanks, as ever, for such a well presented and helpful summary. It would be helpful if ONS could ask more precisely about occupation at the time of contributing infection so that we could understand the risk factors and implications to society/economy.
Bob Hawkins has addressed my point elsewhere, explaining that ONS did unpack occupation in the March 2023 survey, and that it would be reasonable to extrapolate from this data.
Gradually those with Long Term conditions like Long Covid are being 'othered'. In the UK the government is publicly punishing carers, the very people that mean that those with severe disease can still cope, with vicious convictions for overpaid benefits that the DWP made in error, now we have our PM suggesting that benefits for disability will be cut and stopped, based on the judegment of an unqualified assessor from a private company (its been done before, remember ATOS?) and finally we will see a 'right to die' law brought in. And just like in canada with MAID, its only a matter of time before disabled people become so miserable, homeless, unable to care for themselves that they chose death. You might think that would never happen here, but its happened in Canada already. Disabled people are now characterised as not worth anything to the economy, they are seen as a drain on national wealth, they have no worth. They are actively abused now in public, even wearing a mask has become an act of bravery- people stare, mutter 'silly old woman/man', or just sneer about the person being anxious, medical and dental practices demand removal of masks and gaslight their patients. This is eugenics, and its exactly what the Nazi's did in 1930ies Germany. We are in a very dark place.
That half those struggling with LC describe Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM), a severe worsening after physical or mental exertion, lines up with other data suggesting about half of LC meets the diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS, another post viral illness. The levels of research funding for these diseases in the UK remain grotesquely inadequate to even gain a proper understanding of aetiology and a repeatable objective biomarker let alone treatment to get people back on their feet. It is remarkable government talks so enthusiastically about getting more people back into employment but isn't willing to invest in the research that would actually do that.
Thank you for your, as ever, measured summary of the available current evidence.
Has anyone undertaken a careful analysis of the intersection between employment, mental health problems, and Long Covid? Of course, association doesn't confirm causation, but it does allow—or even encourage—assumptions. Relevant empirical evidence helps sort the wheat from the chaff!
The 'Inactive, not looking for work' group would appear to account for many of those currently judged by some as indulging in the 'sick note culture lifestyle', and treated like the many with ME/CFS ignored or dismissed over the decades. Government policy currently appears to be being planned accordingly, but I have seen no detailed dissection of who, and what proportion of the whole, belongs in which of these (non-mutually exclusive) categories. I'm not sure it would be possible from high level summary data sets, without a qualitative examination of individual cases (unless possible via the 'OPENsafely' portal?).
I understand that asking for evidence to inform policy is not always welcomed, but it would be an important contribution to the discussion—especially for many victims of infection sequelae, currently being pilloried by certain sections of the commentariat!
Long Covid is the reason I have tried so hard not to catch Covid in the first place. It's worrying that being fully vaccinated doesn't stop it. And even more worrying that by now I'm guessing no one is doing much to help the patients with it. It's being ignored, questioned and brushed under the carpet.
GPs do their best, but they lack knowledge and a defined clinical pathway etc. As someone who has had LC for six months, I parcel up my ailments and get them to look at that. There is no systemic care, not where I am anyway.
I wonder how this plays into the anti-vaccine narrative? Or for that matter the political approach to disability? My heart goes out to people, young people paricularly, with blighted lives.
Thanks very interesting. I got long Covid after a November 2023 infection, and I know others have too. I wonder it is JN.1, as I was vaxxed about seven times. I'm curious also as to why it is the middle-aged groups with the highest incidence?
sorry to hear you developed Long Covid recently - I'm not sure why it's more in middle aged people! Could be a reflection of combination of other health conditions putting them at higher risk and more pressure to return to work and activity too quickly after infection?
Thank you (and more broadly thank you for your work). That could be it...children, work, ageing parents. A key part of recovery does seem to be a full stop for six months.
Thank you for this invaluable summary. As a grandfather of a 11 year old child with LC for 2+ years it is good to see the wider picture. It is debilitating for individuals socially, physically and economically.
Thanks for continuing to dig into the data and bring this to life. Saddened (but not surprised) to see lower income groups most impacted.
I had Covid in November 2020. And whilst I knew that my life would not be in danger the resultant Long Covid effect has taken it's toll. I could go back to work but there were various things that made it more of a niggle. Especially the fact that if my brain was not engaged in any way I was liable to want to sleep much more than I did before. I found myself drinking Lucozade seemingly by the gallon
It's what I call Quiet Long Covid and I suspect I'm not the only one who has experienced this.
Many thanks, as ever, for such a well presented and helpful summary. It would be helpful if ONS could ask more precisely about occupation at the time of contributing infection so that we could understand the risk factors and implications to society/economy.
Bob Hawkins has addressed my point elsewhere, explaining that ONS did unpack occupation in the March 2023 survey, and that it would be reasonable to extrapolate from this data.
Gradually those with Long Term conditions like Long Covid are being 'othered'. In the UK the government is publicly punishing carers, the very people that mean that those with severe disease can still cope, with vicious convictions for overpaid benefits that the DWP made in error, now we have our PM suggesting that benefits for disability will be cut and stopped, based on the judegment of an unqualified assessor from a private company (its been done before, remember ATOS?) and finally we will see a 'right to die' law brought in. And just like in canada with MAID, its only a matter of time before disabled people become so miserable, homeless, unable to care for themselves that they chose death. You might think that would never happen here, but its happened in Canada already. Disabled people are now characterised as not worth anything to the economy, they are seen as a drain on national wealth, they have no worth. They are actively abused now in public, even wearing a mask has become an act of bravery- people stare, mutter 'silly old woman/man', or just sneer about the person being anxious, medical and dental practices demand removal of masks and gaslight their patients. This is eugenics, and its exactly what the Nazi's did in 1930ies Germany. We are in a very dark place.
That half those struggling with LC describe Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM), a severe worsening after physical or mental exertion, lines up with other data suggesting about half of LC meets the diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS, another post viral illness. The levels of research funding for these diseases in the UK remain grotesquely inadequate to even gain a proper understanding of aetiology and a repeatable objective biomarker let alone treatment to get people back on their feet. It is remarkable government talks so enthusiastically about getting more people back into employment but isn't willing to invest in the research that would actually do that.
Thank you x
Thank you for your, as ever, measured summary of the available current evidence.
Has anyone undertaken a careful analysis of the intersection between employment, mental health problems, and Long Covid? Of course, association doesn't confirm causation, but it does allow—or even encourage—assumptions. Relevant empirical evidence helps sort the wheat from the chaff!
The 'Inactive, not looking for work' group would appear to account for many of those currently judged by some as indulging in the 'sick note culture lifestyle', and treated like the many with ME/CFS ignored or dismissed over the decades. Government policy currently appears to be being planned accordingly, but I have seen no detailed dissection of who, and what proportion of the whole, belongs in which of these (non-mutually exclusive) categories. I'm not sure it would be possible from high level summary data sets, without a qualitative examination of individual cases (unless possible via the 'OPENsafely' portal?).
I understand that asking for evidence to inform policy is not always welcomed, but it would be an important contribution to the discussion—especially for many victims of infection sequelae, currently being pilloried by certain sections of the commentariat!
Long Covid is the reason I have tried so hard not to catch Covid in the first place. It's worrying that being fully vaccinated doesn't stop it. And even more worrying that by now I'm guessing no one is doing much to help the patients with it. It's being ignored, questioned and brushed under the carpet.
GPs do their best, but they lack knowledge and a defined clinical pathway etc. As someone who has had LC for six months, I parcel up my ailments and get them to look at that. There is no systemic care, not where I am anyway.
Thank you yet again for all this valuable work😀
I wonder how this plays into the anti-vaccine narrative? Or for that matter the political approach to disability? My heart goes out to people, young people paricularly, with blighted lives.
Thanks very interesting. I got long Covid after a November 2023 infection, and I know others have too. I wonder it is JN.1, as I was vaxxed about seven times. I'm curious also as to why it is the middle-aged groups with the highest incidence?
sorry to hear you developed Long Covid recently - I'm not sure why it's more in middle aged people! Could be a reflection of combination of other health conditions putting them at higher risk and more pressure to return to work and activity too quickly after infection?
Thank you (and more broadly thank you for your work). That could be it...children, work, ageing parents. A key part of recovery does seem to be a full stop for six months.
Thank you for this invaluable summary. As a grandfather of a 11 year old child with LC for 2+ years it is good to see the wider picture. It is debilitating for individuals socially, physically and economically.