THE majority of people living with long Covid have reported experiencing some level of stigma associated with their condition, a new study based on a survey of 1,100 people has said.
 
The research by a team from the University of Southampton and Brighton and Sussex Medical School found 95 per cent of those suffering from long Covid have experienced some form of stigma while 76 per cent reported experiencing it “often” or “always”.
 
As of October 1 it’s estimated 2.1 million people are living with long Covid in Britain — around 3.3 per cent of the population, according to the Office for National Statistics.
 
A lecturer in public health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Dr Marija Pantelic, said: “The stigma attached to long Covid is likely to leave a devastating mark on our society and health service provision.
 
“We know from decades of research with other long-term conditions such as asthma, depression and HIV that stigma has dire consequences for public health.
 
“Fear of stigma is also likely to drive people away from health services and other support, which over time has detrimental consequences on people’s physical and mental health.”
 
The public narrative around long Covid has been questioned by some including health journalist Alex Berenson who said the people who have the strongest association with long Covid are those suffering from an anxiety disorder.
 
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) highlighted a study which found an “increased risk of long Covid in female participants and in participants with a pre-Covid-19 history of anxiety disorder.”