An estimated 1.3 million people living in the UK are suffering from self-reported long COVID, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows.

The figures, valid from 9 November to 6 December, represents around 2% of the population.

According to the ONS, prevalence of self-reported long COVID remained greatest in those who were:

• Aged 35 to 69 years
• Female
• Living in more deprived areas
• Working in health, social care or teaching and education
• With another activity-limiting health condition or disability

And, 64% of people with self-reported long COVID said their symptoms affected their daily activities, while 20% said it limited their daily activities “a lot”, the ONS said.

Long COVID symptoms vary from person to person, but many who experience them do not require hospital treatment.

Some studies have found 10% of people who have mild COVID-19 will go on to have long COVID, but other studies have estimated as many as 35% will.

Daily activities ‘limited’

The latest ONS figures show that of the people with self-reported long COVID, 270,000 (21%) first had, or suspected they had, COVID-19 less than 12 weeks previously.

And around 892,000 people (70%) first had the virus at least 12 weeks previously, while 506,000 (40%) first had it at least one year previously.

The report found that symptoms adversely affected the day-to-day activities of some 809,000 people (64% of those with self-reported long COVID), with 247,000 (20%) of people reporting their day-to-day activities had been “limited a lot”.

Fatigue continued to be the most common symptom reported in people experiencing long COVID (51%), followed by loss of smell (37%), shortness of breath (36%), and difficulty concentrating (28%).

Symptoms of long COVID

It also found that long COVID was greatest in people aged 35 to 69 years, females, people living in more deprived areas, those working in health care, social care, or teaching and education, as well as those with another activity-limiting health condition or disability.

The ONS analysis was based on 351,850 responses to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey (CIS), which was collected over a four-week period ending 6 December 2021.

Self-reported long COVID was defined as symptoms persisting for more than four weeks after the first suspected COVID infection that was not explained by something else.

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