More than a quarter of people who have self-reported for long-Covid symptoms in London have reported low mood as part of new Office for National Statistics data released on Monday.
The results also included more than half of respondents having felt weakness or tiredness since having Covid-19 in London, 30% experiencing worry or anxiety, and a third more having problems with their sleep.
As of March, nearly two million people reported suffering long-Covid, according to the British Heart Foundation.
A study published by the American Medical Association in 2021 found: “after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a subset of individuals experience persistent symptoms involving mood, sleep, anxiety, and fatigue.”
The report also found symptoms were more prevalent in urban and suburban areas.
The ONS data reports that more than half of London respondents said their symptoms of long Covid were worsened by physical or mental effort.
Moreover, a study by the Health Foundation found that women and those from more deprived backgrounds appear to be at particular risk of symptoms of long Covid.
Though the study is still developing, back in February 2022 the HEAL-COVID trial at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust was introduced to treat acute symptoms of Covid that have lasted a week after infection.
The pandemic as a whole had a dramatic effect of mental health in the UK, with more than a quarter of (26%) adults and 18% of young people experienced mental distress for the first time during the pandemic, according to leading mental health charity Mind.
The survey also found that mental health among the vast majority of young people and adults said their pre-existing mental health problems got worse as a result of the pandemic.
