'Long Covid' affecting significant numbers, says Dr Deepti Gurdasani

"Long Covid" is affecting a significant number of people in the UK, Dr Deepti Gurdasani, a clinical epidemiologist has said.

She told BBC World News that long Covid was not just limited to patients who were very ill or hospitalised. About 13% of people with just mild symptoms went on to develop long Covid with symptoms for 12 weeks or more.

"It is not something that lasts for a short period of time. Among the million people in the UK who we think are impacted now, about 400,000 are people who have had symptoms for one year or more. And that is how debilitating it can be," she said.

Dr Gurdasani, who has been researching long Covid at Queen Mary University of London, said younger people and women were more at risk but anyone could get long Covid.