Skip to Main Content Skip to Site Map Skip to Accessibility Statement
Home Planning and Commissioning Long COVID recovery support

Long COVID recovery support

Getting support for recovery from COVID-19 (long COVID)

For some people, coronavirus (COVID-19) can cause symptoms that last weeks or months after the infection has gone. This is sometimes called post-COVID-19 syndrome or “long COVID”.

About long COVID

Long COVID is a term used to describe signs and symptoms that continue or develop after COVID‑19.

It includes both ongoing symptoms of COVID‑19 (4-12 weeks) and post‑COVID‑19 syndrome (over 12 weeks).

There are lots of symptoms you can have after a COVID-19 infection.  Common long COVID symptoms include:

  • fatigue
  • breathlessness
  • problems with memory or concentration (‘brain fog’)
  • pins and needles
  • headache
  • dizziness
  • palpitations or chest pain
  • rashes
  • depression or anxiety

How long it takes to recover from COVID-19 is different for everybody.

Many people feel better in a few days or weeks and most will make a full recovery within 12 weeks. But for some people, symptoms can last longer.

The chances of having long-term symptoms does not seem to be linked to how ill you are when you first get COVID-19.

Read more information about long COVID on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) website.

Support available to people with long COVID

Consider  contacting your GP if you are worried about symptoms 4 weeks or more after having COVID-19

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and the impact they’re having on your life.

They may suggest some tests to find out more about your symptoms and rule out other things that could be causing them.

These might include:

  • blood tests
  • checking your blood pressure and heart rate
  • a chest X-ray

Your doctor will talk to you about the care and support you might need.

You may be given advice about how to manage and monitor your symptoms at home.

If the symptoms are having a big impact on your life, you may be referred to a long COVID assessment or pulmonary rehabilitation service, or to a service that specialises in the specific symptoms you have.

These services can help manage your symptoms and help you recover.

Further Information

You can find more information to support your recovery on the Your COVID Recovery website.

The Digital supports for Long COVID pagetiger that includes digital resources for patients and staff: https://view.pagetiger.com/longcoviddigitalsupport

 

 

Contents