Long covid: Can clinics in England cope if cases rise this winter?

By Adam Vaughan

The number of people with long covid who get a successful referral to specialist clinics in England has fallen slightly, according to the first national figures on how healthcare capacity for the most debilitating cases is changing.

There are an estimated 706,000 people in the UK today with long covid symptoms severe enough to limit their daily activities, up by around 10 per cent on the start of August. Some people fear numbers will rise further in winter as people mix more inside, stretching the capacity of the 89 long covid clinics around England. The other three …