Long Covid will be our economic downfall and continue to blight lives, expert warns

Experts fear condition will hit people’s ability to work and have costs for employers and government, Jane Dalton writes

Some Long Covid patients are still struggling years after catching the virus (Getty Images)

Long Covid will have a continuing, cumulative and significant effect on the UK’s economy by blighting people’s lives, an infectious diseases doctor has warned.

The condition, which can even affect vaccinated people, is likely to arise from high levels of coronavirus infection after the government dropped all restrictions in England, according to Nathalie MacDermott.

Sufferers of post-Covid-19 syndrome, known as long Covid, may have health problems for many months – and possibly years – after being infected with the disease.