Long Covid sufferers to benefit from £19m research

A MAJOR research project has been launched into the long-term health legacies of Covid-19 in the hope of understanding the condition and supporting new treatments.

The programme, with £19.6m in Government funding, will see 15 new research studies backed by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

As many as one in three people diagnosed with Covid continue to experience chronic symptoms for months after their diagnosis, previous studies have found.

The new programme will allow researchers across the UK to pool expertise and findings with a body of health and care professionals supporting sufferers.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid called the research programmes “life-changing”.

He said: “Long Covid can have serious and debilitating longterm effects for thousands of people which can make daily life extremely challenging.

“This new research is absolutely essential to improve diagnosis and treatments and will be lifechanging for those who are battling long-term symptoms of the virus.

“It will build on our existing support, with over 80 long Covid assessment services open across England as part of a £100m expansion of care for those suffering from the condition, and over £50m invested in research to better understand the lasting effects of this condition.”

Among the projects will be the largest long Covid trial to date, recruiting more than 4,500 people with the condition to test the effectiveness of existing drugs on treating the lasting symptoms.