Long Covid impact in Ireland highlighted in report

Nearly 40% of participants said they were "severely limited" in their ability to work

Almost 90% of those living with long Covid in Ireland have not returned to their pre-Covid level of health, according to a new report.

The study of 988 participants was carried out by APC Microbiome Ireland, a research centre based at University College Cork (UCC), in conjunction with Cork University Hospital and Long Covid Advocacy Ireland.

It found that more than two-thirds of participants in the study continued to experience fatigue, memory problems, chest pain, stomach upset, and muscle pain.

Those surveyed also reported that they were suffering from new symptoms that had not been present before catching Covid.

These included tinnitus (38%), mouth ulcers (28%), new allergies (16%) and sexual dysfunction (13%).

They said these prolonged symptoms can significantly impact their quality of life, affect their ability to work and cause significant disability.

Fatigue commonly reported

Nearly 40% of participants said they were "severely limited" in their ability to work, and 60% of respondents had missed work days at some stage due to their long Covid symptoms.

In addition, 16% of participants said they were unable to work at the time of the survey and were receiving social welfare supports.

UCC Professor of Immunology Liam O’Mahony, who was involved in producing the study, said the "reasons why some people develop long Covid, and others do not, are still unclear".

"The majority of people surveyed had a mild-moderate severity of initial Covid-19 disease and the majority did not require hospital treatment at that time," he added.

"A wide range of body systems are impacted by long Covid, as demonstrated by systemic, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neuropsychiatric or musculoskeletal symptoms.

"Fatigue is the single most frequent symptom reported."