More than two million people in England are thought to have had one or more Covid-19 symptoms lasting at least 12 weeks, one of the largest studies of the virus suggests.
Long Covid is more common among women, people who are overweight or obese, smokers, those living in deprived areas and those admitted to hospital, the Imperial College London study showed.
One fifth of those surveyed reported having experienced Covid-19 symptoms.
About 37 per cent told of at least one persistent symptom lasting and almost 15 per cent said they had three or more symptoms for at least 12 weeks.
“Our findings do paint a concerning picture of the longer-term health consequences of Covid-19, which need to be accounted for in policy and planning," director of the programme Prof Paul Elliott said.
“Long Covid is still poorly understood but we hope through our research that we can contribute to better identification and management of this condition, which our data and others’ suggest may ultimately affect millions of people in the UK alone.”
The findings suggest prevalence of long Covid increases with age, with a 3.5 per cent rise in likelihood with each decade of life.
People with persistent symptoms at 12 weeks fell into two groups. In the first, the most common symptom was tiredness and muscle aches.
In the second, the most common symptoms were shortness of breath affecting normal activities, tightness in chest, and chest pain, with more people reporting they had severe symptoms.
Persistent Covid-19 symptoms were lower in people of Asian ethnicity.
“Long Covid can have a lasting and debilitating impact on the lives of those affected," Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.
"Studies like this help us to rapidly build our understanding of the impact of the condition, and we are using these findings and other new research to develop support and treatments.
“We are learning more about long Covid all the time and have made £50 million ($69.8m) of research funding available to support innovative projects, with clinics established across the country to help improve the treatment available.”
The government is providing the £50m through the UK Research and Innovation and the National Institute for Health Research to ensure the best treatments are available.
The National Health Service has opened more than 80 long-Covid assessment services in England.
Last week the NHS published a £100m plan to expand support, including £30m to help GPs improve diagnosis and care for patients with long Covid.
Funded by the government, the React-2 study was based on self-reported data from 508,707 adults who took part between September 2020 and February 2021.
Because many of the symptoms are not specific to Covid-19, the the prevalence of such symptoms after recovery from the disease may have been overestimated.
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Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
