According to the Office for National Statistics, around two million people in the UK are currently experiencing long Covid. The NHS defines long Covid as symptoms that last more than 12 weeks after the initial infection. Mark Faghy, professor of clinical exercise physiology at Loughborough University, told the Daily Mirror that between 2.5% and 10% of people infected with Covid will develop long Covid.
Long Covid symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, breathlessness, joint and muscle pain, and post-exertion malaise, according to Faghy. Stephanie deGiorgio, a GP from Dover, developed long Covid in March 2020 and still experiences dizziness and fatigue six years later. Her daughter Alice, now 14, also developed long Covid and spends 70% of her day in bed, according to deGiorgio. Gabby Rudge-Cox, from Appleton Roebuck near York, developed long Covid after catching Covid on New Year's Day 2021. She has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, ME, and postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS). These personal stories highlight the varied and debilitating nature of the condition.
We've lost so much of what our lives were and could have been, and that is soul destroying.
A Covid booster vaccination is available this spring for care home residents, adults aged 75 and over by June 30, 2026, and immunocompromised individuals, according to the UK Health Security Agency. The agency also noted that protection from earlier Covid vaccinations is starting to wane, underscoring the importance of booster doses for vulnerable groups.
That one little moment in time has completely changed our opportunities.
Having a shower or getting up and getting changed can be the big parts of your day.