Long Covid: snapshot poll finds more than 1m people with symptoms in UK

[Northerner]

More than a million people in the UK were experiencing “long Covid” in a recent four-week period, according to new survey figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Statisticians estimate that 1.1 million people in the community had ongoing symptoms in the four weeks up to 6 March after contracting the disease at least three months beforehand.

Long Covid, or post-Covid syndrome, describes a range of symptoms that persist for more than four weeks after a first suspected infection with the virus, and which are not explained by other causes. Symptoms vary but include fatigue, muscle pain and difficulty concentrating.

The ONS estimates that nearly 700,000 of those with long Covid first had the virus, or a suspected infection, at least 12 weeks earlier, with a further 70,000 having a first infection at least one year earlier.

Long Covid: snapshot poll finds more than 1m people with symptoms in UK

ONS estimates 1.1m people in community had ongoing symptoms in four weeks to 6 March

www.theguardian.com

 

[Amigo]

Will vaccines help people with long covid?

In that ‘Long Covid’ seems to affect people who have experienced more significant Covid symptoms and the vaccination is intended to reduce the level of symptoms, then yes seems to be the logical answer.

‘Researchers in Leicester followed up more than 1,000 people who had been admitted to hospital with Covid-19. In this study, the people who were most likely to be affected by long Covid tended to be White women aged 40 to 60 with two or more medical conditions such as a cardiovascular condition, asthma or type 2 diabetes. This is different from those who are most likely to need hospital treatment for Covid-19, who are more likely to be male and from an ethnic minority background.

Research on who is most at risk is in the early stages and different studies have so far produced different results regarding age as a risk factor. A smaller study led by the University of Glasgow with 327 adults who had been discharged from hospital found that younger ages (under 50) had the worst long-term outcomes following Covid-19. It also found that seven months after hospital treatment women under 50 were five times less likely than men of the same age to say they were fully recovered.

 

[Amigo]

Hi Amigo,

Any data available on that?

Perhaps start with data on those with long covid?

Data on what? Do you question the fact that people who are impacted more significantly (usually due to existing co-morbidities and the other factors identified) will be more likely to suffer longer term impact than asymptomatic people who don’t require hospital treatment or medical intervention?
The idea is to have the vaccination before the virus and minimise the impact and length of suffering.

There‘s data in the link above that northerner has provided.

 

[Inka]

Data on how the vaccine reduces the effects of long covid.

Maybe because the vaccine greatly reduces your chance of getting Covid in the first place (so hence no Long Covid) or, if you’re unlucky enough to get it despite the vaccine, your symptoms will be milder and possibly less likely to persist and develop into Long Covid?

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Perhaps start with data on those with long covid?

You'd presumably need a good way to decide whether someone had long covid, then get a big enough collection of people with long covid who hadn't been vaccinated and randomly vaccinate some of them (with placebo for the others). (So you'd need enough volunteers to make that practical.)

Would such a thing be interesting enough for someone to want to look, or useful enough to get ethical approval? Seems doubtful to me. You'd presumably want some reason to suspect that vaccination might be bad for long covid, and bad enough to outweigh the benefits.

 

[Inka]

Hi Inka,

I do specifically mean "will the vaccines help with long covid" as in, will it help those with an existing long covid.

The small number of studies have shown to have mixed results. Can we reliably inform those with long covid that a vaccine will make them better, worse or have no effect?

The government guidance says the vaccine is recommended for those with Long Covid. I think I linked to it once - i’ll look again. Not sure if it was that guidance that said it or elsewhere, but having Long Covid doesn’t stop someone getting Covid again, and that could cause more damage.

Edited to add the guidance @Amity Island :

Can we have the vaccine if still having post-viral fatigue ('long COVID') from a previous COVID infection?​

The Green Book published says symptoms of 'long COVID' are not a contraindication.

With long COVID the symptoms persist for months. Would it be safe to have the vaccine if still suffering from it?​

The Green Book published says symptoms of 'long COVID' are not a contraindication.

https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/working-for-us/staff/covid-staff-faqs-vaccine.aspx

https://assets.publishing.service.g...961287/Greenbook_chapter_14a_v7_12Feb2021.pdf

.

 

[Inka]

If you’re simply asking if the vaccine will have some curative effect on people with Long Covid, then I haven’t seen any evidence either way, but common sense says that reducing the risk of getting Covid again will help their health.

 

[Inka]

Me neither.

But I wouldn’t expect it to, I don’t think - would you?

 

[Robin]

But I wouldn’t expect it to, I don’t think - would you?

Funnily enough, I’ve just had a thing through from the Zoe Covid study app that I fill in daily, and one of the research areas planned for the future is 'Could Covid vaccines ease long COVID symptoms?'
Like you, I wouldn’t have expected it, but it seems scientists are on the case!

 

[Thebearcametoo]

I’ve seen a couple of anecdotal reports of the vaccine helping people who have had long covid which would be fascinating for looking at the autoimmune responses for both covid and long covid. Obviously it needs more study and there will always be some people who aren’t helped by the vaccine who will then need support just there are many who have had post viral chronic fatigue from things other than covid and there are whole communities of ME/CFS/fibro sufferers who also need support. From experience of CFS and now fibro the support seems to be a postcode lottery and based on management not health/being fully functioning. My heart goes out to all of those who were healthy before covid and are struggling now. It’s a horrible thing to have to adapt to.

 

[Inka]

Not if it has a detrimental effect, no, but there is no evidence it does.

Do you mind me asking if you decided to have the Covid vaccine? I had my first dose back in Feb.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

If you’re simply asking if the vaccine will have some curative effect on people with Long Covid, then I haven’t seen any evidence either way,

I've heard some anecdata: people who were suffering from long covid reporting that some symptoms improved a lot after vaccination. One theory is that some kinds of long covid have something to do with over reactions by the immune system, and providing a really clear target in the form of the vaccine can help reset that.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

"Because no governments are tracking long Covid along with rates of infections, death and hospitalization, it will be hard to measure how much these numbers decrease after more people are vaccinated".

If vaccinations reduce infections (and even more hospitalisation and deaths) then surely that's going to reduce long covid over time?

If fewer people are encountering the virus at all, it would be astonishing if that didn't reduce the numbers who developed long covid. (Well, impossible since definitionally it's not long covid unless you've had covid.)

I haven't seen any accounts of people who said their long covid got worse after vaccination, only a small number who reported that it had got better. Maybe I'm missing them (perhaps because they're not being widely reported).

Overall it feels really hard to see the vaccines as bad news. Worst so far seems to be this rare kind of blood clotting in (mostly) younger women, associated with the one kind of vaccine. (If it turns out to be causal then that's very bad news for that one vaccine, but there's plenty of others that can be used.)

 

[mikeyB]

I agree, @Amity Island. For a start, I don’t believe the numbers. There’s no way of separating existing conditions from “long Covid”. I don’t doubt it does exist, but no more than in flu or glandular fever. And no way of identifying smokers among those with persisting chest problems.

There are so many confounding factors that make such speculation highly dubious.