Long Covid: symptoms, tests, treatment and support

Updated 10 May 2023

We look at the symptoms of long Covid, how long it lasts, and what tests and treatments are available.

What's on this page:

What is long Covid?

Long Covid symptoms 

Heart-related symptoms after Covid

Long Covid and fatigue

Tests and treatments for long Covid 

Get support with long Covid 

What is long Covid?

How long do Covid symptoms last?

Most people with mild Covid-19 feel better within one to two weeks of noticing symptoms, and are fully recovered within three months.

While most people who get Covid-19 recover quickly, for some the effects of the virus can last for much longer, or new symptoms can develop. This is called 'long Covid’.

What is long Covid?

Long Covid is a term to describe the effects of Covid-19 that last for several weeks or months beyond the initial illness.

The World Health Organization defines long Covid as symptoms that start (usually) within three months of having Covid, last for at least two months, and can’t be explained by another condition. Symptoms can fluctuate or relapse over time. 

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), says that the term ‘long Covid’ can also include a long-lasting Covid illness – that is, Covid-19 symptoms that last for 4-12 weeks after infection.

More research is being carried out to understand the symptoms of long Covid and how to best treat them.

How long does long Covid last?

There have been reports of long Covid symptoms lasting from three months, up to two years or more. We're still learning more about how long the illness typically lasts, and we know that this varies between people.

As of 5 March 2023, an estimated 1.9 million people in the UK were experiencing self-reported long Covid. Of those people:

• 92% had been experiencing long Covid symptoms for at least 3 months
• 69% had been experiencing long Covid symptoms for at least a year
• 41% had been experiencing long Covid symptoms for at least two years.

See the latest long Covid data from the Office of National Statistics

Long Covid symptoms

What are the symptoms of long Covid?

Up to 5 March 2023, the most commonly reported long Covid symptoms were:

1. fatigue
2. difficulty concentrating
3. muscle aches
4. shortness of breath

However, there are many other symptoms of long Covid that have been identified through research. They include:

Heart and circulatory symptoms

• chest tightness or pain
• heart palpitations
• changes to heart rate

Joint and muscle pain

• muscle and join paint
• pain in the back or shoulders

Brain (neurological or cognitive) symptoms

• not being able to think straight or focus (‘brain fog’) 
• headaches
• hallucinations
• amnesia
• dizziness
• difficulty with motor function or speech
• pins and needles

Mental health effects

• symptoms of anxiety, such as worrying, feeling on edge or having difficulty sleeping
• symptoms of depression such as low mood, feeling helpless, having low motivation, or not enjoying usual activities
• symptoms of PTSD

Respiratory symptoms

• persistent cough
• sore throat
• difficulty breathing

Stomach and digestive symptoms

• stomach pain
• diarrhoea
• vomiting
• bowel incontinence

Ear nose and throat symptoms

• changes to sense of smell or taste
• earache
• ringing in the ears (tinnitus)

General symptoms

• nausea
• a high temperature
• feeling hot and cold
• heavy arms or legs

Skin and hair symptoms

• hair loss
• skin rashes

Heart-related symptoms after Covid

Some people are experiencing heart-related symptoms such as palpitations, a fast heart rate, or chest pain after having Covid.

These symptoms can feel worrying, especially if you already have a heart condition.

It's important to remember that there are many different causes for these symptoms, and they may not necessarily be caused by the virus.

Below we explain when to get medical help for heart-related long Covid symptoms:

Heart palpitations after Covid

Some people are experiencing heart palpitations after having Covid. This can feel like your heart is pounding, fluttering, or beating irregularly. You may feel this in your chest, neck or throat.

According to a review of several studies involving 48,000 people with long Covid, more than one in 10 people (11%) experienced heart palpitations.

Heart palpitations are not usually a sign of a more serious health issue - they're very common, even in people who aren’t recovering from Covid.

In some people with long Covid, heart palpitations may be caused by a problem with their autonomic nervous system (which controls things such as your heart rate, breathing and blood pressure). This condition is called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS). 

Changes to your heart rate after Covid

You may have noticed changes to your heart rate, including a fast or rapid heartbeat, after having Covid. While it’s normal for your heart rate to increase in response to fever or illness, some people are experiencing changes that last beyond their initial Covid infection.

Dr Robert Bell, a cardiologist at University College London Hospital (UCLH), has noticed that after recovering from Covid, many patients suffer from a fast heart rate when they exercise, and feel very fatigued afterwards.

There are other common reasons you might notice an increased heart rate, including dehydration, stress or anxiety, exercise, caffeine or new medications. Temporary changes to your heart rate aren’t typically a cause for concern.

In very few cases, these changes may be caused by an abnormal heart rhythm.

• Go to our information on long Covid and fatigue after exercise
• Learn more about what can cause your heart rate to become fast
• Read Kerstin's story about coping with long Covid fatigue and chest pain 

• Call 999 if you're experiencing a fast heart rate or palpitations, and also have chest pain, dizziness or blackouts.  

Chest pain after Covid

Chest pain is a very common symptom of long Covid. Some people are having chest pain that lasts beyond their initial Covid-19 infection, or that starts in the weeks after they’ve had the virus.

It's important to remember that there are many different causes for chest pain. So if you're experiencing chest pain after Covid-19, it might not necessarily be related to the virus. For example, your symptoms could be caused by something else, such as angina, which can feel like a dull, heavy or tight feeling in your chest.

If you experience any new type of chest pain, it’s important to get medical advice, as chest pain can be a sign of something more serious, like a heart or lung problem.

• Read more about how Covid-19 affects your heart

If you have chest pain that comes and goes, you should still speak to your GP about it or call 111 – as chest pain should never be ignored.

Types of chest pain after Covid

We're still learning more about chest pain after Covid-19, but it seems likely that it can be caused by a variety of things, including:

Muscle pain or soreness (myalgia)

Severe viral infections, including Covid-19, can cause achy muscles in your chest. The pain might be in a specific area or spread more widely. The area can feel sore to touch and is usually made worse by specific movements, such as turning the chest or stretching. This type of chest pain can happen after exercise.

You might experience this type of muscle pain during a Covid infection, or afterwards.

Non-specific chest pain

General chest pain, which is also called non-cardiac chest pain, can happen anywhere in the chest. The pain can feel sharp or dull, and may happen in short bursts, or last for hours. This type of chest pain doesn’t happen after exercise.

While this type of chest pain is not caused by a problem with your heart, it can be difficult to figure out what is causing it.

Pleuritic pain (chest pain when you breathe in)

This type of chest pain feels sharp, and worse when you breathe in. It might feel better when you hold your breath or take shallow breaths.

This type of chest pain is usually caused by inflammation of the tissue between your ribs and lungs (called pleurisy), or inflammation of the lining of your heart (pericarditis). If pericarditis is the cause of your chest pain, the pain may feel worse when you're lying flat and be relieved by sitting forward.

Tests and treatments for long Covid

Is there a treatment for long Covid?

While there isn’t one single treatment or medication that's used to treat the overall condition of long Covid, there are treatments that may help to relieve some of the symptoms of it.

Everyone’s experience is different, so it’s important to chat to your GP about each of your symptoms and how they can be managed.

Your GP may refer you to a long Covid clinic, or a specialist who can help treat the individual symptoms you're experiencing, such as physiotherapy or psychological support. Speak to your GP or healthcare professional to ask if you're being referred.

There’s lots of simple things you can do to help relieve your symptoms as you recover.

• Read our long Covid recovery guide for tips on managing fatigue and breathlessness, low mood, memory problems, or joint pain.
• Learn more about the long Covid clinics that have been rolled out across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Is there a test for long Covid?

While there isn't one single test to diagnose long Covid, your doctor may refer you for individual tests to help better understand your symptoms and how they're affecting you. These tests will also help to rule out other possible causes for your symptoms.

Tests could include:

• blood tests
• heart rate and blood pressure checks
• an ECG
• a chest X-ray
• a pulse oximetry (to test your blood oxygen levels)
• an exercise tolerance test, such as a sit-to-stand test

Speak to your doctor if you're experiencing lasting long Covid symptoms. 

Professor Danny Altmann and his team at Imperial College London are researching how the immune system reacts to Covid-19 infection. They are hopeful that a simple blood test will eventually be available to detect long Covid in people who produce harmful antibodies against the virus. 

Long Covid and fatigue 

Many people are experiencing fatigue which lasts for several months beyond their Covid infection - it is the most commonly reported long Covid symptom.

What does long Covid fatigue feel like?

Fatigue can affect people in different ways, but generally, things that you used to be able to now feel tiring or exhausting. For some people, gardening, climbing the stairs or even washing the dishes can leave someone with long Covid feeling tired or weak. For other people, it might mean that a busy day at work leaves them feeling more exhausted than it would have done in the past, or that going out or being active or busy several days in a row is exhausting. 

• Visit our long Covid recovery guide for tips on managing fatigue 

Managing fatigue after exercise

Cardiologist Dr Robert Bell has been jointly running Covid clinics with respiratory colleagues at University College London Hospital (UCLH) for more than a year and treating patients who experience "exercise intolerance". He has noticed that for many patients, this means they suffer from fast heart rate (tachycardia) when they exercise, and fatigue afterwards. He said: "These people will have high resting heart rates of about 100 just doing nothing, and as soon as they try to exercise it will race up to 140, 150, even 180, and they are utterly exhausted for days afterwards."

He has found that some of these patients respond well to treatment with a beta blocker, a medicine to slow the heart rate. He added: “They are young – many are females in their forties, the majority of whom are fit and well. If we can control their symptoms, they can break that cycle and rebuild their fitness. So, symptom management is very important."

Dr Claire Steves, Senior Clinical Lecturer at King’s College, said that while exercise is helpful for some people with long Covid, and research would look into this further, carefully pacing exercise [for example, starting slowly and gradually, and only increasing if that does not prove to be too much] was important to avoid the "boom and bust" that some people experience. She said: "Many people with long Covid report that there is this sort of boom and bust – do too much and you will be out of action for several days. If we take a paced approach, we can try and avoid that. We are trialling some online tools and resources to help people pace and individualise what they do so it meets that individual need."

• Read Kerstin's story on coping with fatigue after long Covid 

Get help with long Covid

Tips for managing long Covid symptoms

We’ve created a guide for managing the most commonly reported symptoms of long Covid. It covers tips for managing fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, and joint pain – plus ways to boost your mood and mental health.

• Visit our long Covid recovery guide

Where can I get support if I have long Covid?

• If you think you have long Covid, or your symptoms are getting worse, contact your GP. You may be referred to a long Covid clinic, for physiotherapy, or for psychological support such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
• Long Covid clinics have been rolled out across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to help those struggling with ongoing symptoms. Speak to your GP or healthcare professional to find out if you're being referred.
• While there are no long Covid clinics in Scotland, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland have a long Covid advice line. You can call them on 0808 801 0899 or email [email protected]
• Find out what support is available if you have long Covid and are unable to work, or your child has long Covid and needs support at school.
• Your Covid Recovery has been set up by the NHS to provide information and support to those who've had Covid and are still suffering with symptoms. A bilingual version of the app has been developed by NHS Wales.
• Always call 999 if you have any emergency symptoms, such as sudden chest paint, or if you think you may be having a heart attack or stroke. Find out more information on when to get medical help.

Read stories from people with long Covid

If you're struggling with the ongoing symptoms of coronavirus, it can be helpful to know you're not alone.

	A year of health issues: Suki's story "I found the only way to get better is to stop and rest for as long as it takes." Read Suki's story
	Kerstin's experience with fatigue, palpitations and chest pain "I felt like a battery that never charges properly" Read Kerstin's story
	James's road to recovery "Things are going in the right direction. Now, my worst moments aren’t as bad as the previous worst moments. I just have to be patient." Read James's story

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