If there are around 40 people in your organisation, then at least one of them may be suffering from long COVID.
So, the chances are it isn’t you, but it’s highly likely that you will know someone who has it… and you can help.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there are over 15 million people in the UK with a long-term health condition.
The ONS reports that 1.5 million people or 2.4% of the UK population were experiencing self-reported long COVID as of January 2022.
Long COVID affects different people in diverse ways. Of those who said they were experiencing self-reported long COVID, 65% said the symptoms affected their day-to-day activities and 18% said that their activities had been limited a lot.
Prevalence of long COVID was higher for people aged 35 – 49 and for females.
There are many symptoms of long COVID but the most common symptoms from the ONS study were:
- Fatigue – 51%
- Shortness of breath – 35%
- Loss of smell – 34%
- Difficulty concentrating – 25%
- Loss of taste – 25%
Long COVID is a relatively new condition, but the good news is that improvements in how we treat it are being made.
How to help someone with long COVID
You may not be able to help someone directly other than encouraging them to seek professional help.
If they are worried about symptoms 4 weeks or more after having COVID-19, then they must contact their GP. Waiting lists are long through the NHS but there are several private schemes that you can use too.
Encourage them to eat well and stay hydrated. For those who are short of breath, encourage them to eat little and often and to drink between meals instead of with their meals.
Talk to them about ways to improve their sleep as sometimes fatigue can lead to taking daytime naps.
Help them get moving again. Doing something together is a great motivator. Start small and build on this. Contact our personal trainers for specific advice. Remember, if they experience any extreme pain, shortness of breath or dizziness, stop and seek advice.
Talking is a great boost to mental health and lessen the common feeling of anxiety that can accompany long COVID. However, if you are unsure what to say, you can contact our mental health practitioners.
For more information about our Long COVID Recovery Programme (LCRP) click the button below.