About one in four UK healthcare workers who contracted COVID-19 had long-COVID symptoms for five weeks or longer, and 26.5% of health workers worldwide were still experiencing related symptoms a year later, according to a new report examining the pandemic’s long-term effects on the healthcare workforce.
The report, developed by the National Health Service (NHS) Race and Health Observatory in collaboration with the University of Leicester, the University of Nottingham, and University College London, found that long COVID, or symptoms lasting at least three months after infection, has contributed to prolonged absences, reduced productivity, and working while unwell. Affected workers described the support provided by NHS as “inconsistent and insufficient.”
“This research highlights how much impact the COVID pandemic continues to have on healthcare workers, with up to one in four still experiencing symptoms following infection,” says Katherine Woolf, PhD, a professor at University College London Medical School, in a university news release. “Supporting those affected and preventing similar impacts on healthcare staff in future pandemics should remain a priority.”
Female sex, severe infection may be risk factors
Launched in 2022, the three-year research project included a global systematic review of studies, analyses of surveys from UK healthcare workers, and interviews with workers and their managers and support networks.
The review included 28 studies involving 6,481 healthcare workers worldwide. An estimated 40% of those who contracted COVID were still experiencing long COVID after an average follow-up of 22 weeks. Among workers followed for a full year, 26.5% continued to have symptoms.
Fatigue was the most common symptom, affecting 35% of workers. Neurologic symptoms such as brain fog and headaches affected 25%, as did loss of taste or smell. Other common symptoms included muscle pain (22%) and shortness of breath (19%).
In the UK surveys, 23% of previously infected healthcare workers surveyed from December 2020 through March 2021 reported symptoms lasting at least five weeks. Among those surveyed from October 2021 through October 2022, 27% reported symptoms lasting at least 12 weeks.
Long COVID was more commonly reported by women, people with preexisting health conditions, and those who had severe initial infections. Occupational factors also appeared to play a role: according to the findings, workers in nursing, allied health, and administrative roles faced greater risk.
Vaccination against COVID appeared to have a dose-response protective effect. The more doses workers received before infection, the less likely they were to report prolonged symptoms.
Workers felt pressure to ‘keep going’
Interviews with participants about their experience with long COVID highlighted how unpredictable relapses, fatigue, and cognitive problems made it difficult to work. Stigma was also a concern for many workers, who felt pressure to “keep going” when they felt ill and worried about how they were perceived in the workplace. In turn, continuing to work when they were ill delayed them seeking help and may have contributed to worsening symptoms.
We simply cannot afford for history to repeat itself.
The report recommends workplace accommodations, including reduced hours, modified duties, and phased returns. It also calls for accessible physical, psychological, and occupational therapy for affected workers. More broadly, the authors recommend funding for future research on persistent post-viral symptoms.
“There is a clear and urgent need for improved workplace adjustments, tailored support for the workforce, and increased learning and understanding of the impact of long COVID for the wider health and care system,” says Habib Naqvi, MBE, chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, in the news release. “We simply cannot afford for history to repeat itself.”
