Long Covid: scientists warn of potential mental “fog” for several years

Affecting the memory, attention, reasoning and processing speed in patients who suffered from symptoms for 12 weeks, the long Covid can really become disabling for several years after contamination. Professor Claire Steves, an expert in aging and health, points out that some people have not fully recovered two years after their first infection, continuing to experience the long-term effects of the virus. Long Covid clinics have been set up by the NHS to address this growing problem (source 1).

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics reveals that 1.9million people in the UK, or 2.9% of the population, reported persistent Covid symptoms for more than four weeks after infection. There difficulty concentrating is the second most common symptom of the long Covid illness. The researchers also found that the effect of the coronavirus on mental abilities was detectable on average almost two years after the initial infection in patients who experienced symptoms of Covid for more than 12 weeks. This equates to an impact similar to that of a Age 10 increase in cognitive abilities. As the number of people with long Covid increases, more information is needed to understand the reasons for this persistence and how to help these patients recover fully.