Long Covid Symptoms Are Affecting 1.1 Million People in U.K.

(Bloomberg) -- Long-Covid symptoms are affecting about 1.1 million people in the U.K., with about half that number saying the disease is harming their day-to-day lives, government statistics show.

About 196,000 of those people said their ability to undertake regular activities was significantly impacted, the Office for National Statistics said on Thursday. The figures detail those still grappling with the coronavirus after four weeks and were self-reported to doctors.

The figures mark the first time the ONS has analyzed how the pandemic will affect the population over time. More women than men had lingering affects from the disease, and more young people than older ones were suffering.

“People who tested positive for Covid-19 are around eight times more likely to suffer prolonged symptoms than observed in the general population,” said Ben Humberstone, head of health analysis and life events at the ONS.

• The highest portion of people affected were in ages between 25 and 34
• About 6% of the population was hesitant to take vaccines against the virus, down from 9% previously in early December
• About 1-in-5 black people were reluctant to take the vaccine, down from 44% previously
• At least 1-in-8 people aged 16 to 29 were reluctant to take the vaccine. The same portion was recorded for those in the most deprived areas

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