Thursday 08 April 2021
As more evidence and research becomes available on the long-term effects of COVID-19, Islanders who think they might be suffering from the long-term effects of COVID-19 should contact their GP.
Post COVID-19 syndrome (also known as Long COVID) is not thought to be linked to the severity of a COVID-19 infection and new or ongoing symptoms can change unpredictably and affect individuals in different ways at different times.
The recovery time for individuals after a COVID-19 infection will vary, but for most their symptoms will have fully resolved by 12 weeks.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines state that health professionals should consider that a previous COVID-19 infection is a possible underlying cause of new or ongoing symptoms in people who:
- are presenting with symptoms 4 to 12 weeks after the start of acute COVID‑19 (ongoing symptomatic COVID-19) or
- still have symptoms that have not resolved 12 weeks after the start of acute COVID‑19 (post COVID syndrome).
A GP will be able to offer an initial consultation and then discuss and agree what further diagnostic tests may be required e.g. chest x-ray, blood tests and spirometry testing (lung function test).
More information about Long Covid can be found here: NICE link
