Long covid refers to symptoms that persist after recovery from covid-19 infection, including fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, and cognitive impairment such as poor memory and poor concentration.
Chris Whitty said that while he expected the death toll to be “much lower” in proportion to previous waves, the “long covid remains a concern.”
“As the number of cases is on the rise, it means that in the future we will have a significant amount of long covid, especially at younger ages, where vaccination rates are currently much lower,” the doctor said during the conference. Local Government Association website, cited by Bloomberg agency.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Monday announced plans to end social distancing from July 19, with a final decision due next week.
In the face of this fear, England’s director-general of health argued that the UK should do everything possible to reduce coronavirus rates and ensure that everyone is vaccinated, to avoid a sharp increase in “long covid”.
The medical official warned people should not expect a quick return to normal after the restrictions were lifted, adding he would be “surprised” if Britain returned to a pre-covid situation as early as the next spring.
The covid-19 pandemic has claimed at least 3,987,613 deaths worldwide, resulting in more than 184.1 million cases of infection with the new coronavirus.