For some, Covid can cause symptoms that last weeks or months after the infection has gone. This is sometimes called post-COVID-19 syndrome or "long Covid".
How long it takes to recover from the virus is different for everybody, as many feel better in a few days or weeks, with most making a full recovery within 12 weeks, and for some, symptoms can last longer.
The chances of having long-term symptoms do not seem to be linked to how ill you are when you first get Covid, and people who had mild symptoms can still have long-term problems.
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But how can you tell if you have long Covid?
According to the ONS, rates of long Covid are highest among certain groups.
These include women, those aged 35 to 69 years, people living in more deprived areas, those working in social care, teaching and education or health care, and those with other health conditions or disabilities.
Fatigue continues to be the most common symptom experienced by 55% of those with self-reported long Covid, followed by 32% with shortness of breath, 23% with a cough and 23% with muscle ache.
Now new research, based on the anonymised health records of 2.4 million people in the UK, which was conducted at the University of Birmingham, has found several new symptoms.
It says other symptoms also include:
• Amnesia
• Apraxia
• Bowel incontinence
• Erectile dysfunction
• Hallucinations
• Limb Swelling
The data was collected between January 2020 and April 2021 and comprised 486,149 people with prior infection and 1.9 million people with no indication of Covid infection.
The study used only non-hospitalised patients whose symptoms were sorted into three distinct categories - respiratory, mental health and cognitive problems alongside a broader range.
Hair loss and sexual dysfunction have been added to the broader range of symptoms.
Dr Shamil Haroon, an associate clinical professor in Public Health at the University of Birmingham and the study's senior author, said he hoped the findings would help clinicians.
He said: "This research validates what patients have been telling clinicians and policy makers throughout the pandemic, that the symptoms of long COVID are extremely broad and cannot be fully accounted for by other factors such as lifestyle risk factors or chronic health conditions.
"The symptoms we identified should help clinicians and clinical guideline developers to improve the assessment of patients with long-term effects from COVID-19, and to subsequently consider how this symptom burden can be best managed."
Patient partner and co-author of this study Jennifer Camaradou said: "This study is instrumental in creating and adding further value to understanding the complexity and pathology of long COVID.
"It highlights the degree and diversity of expression of symptoms between different clusters. Patients with pre-existing health conditions will also welcome the additional analysis on risk factors," Ms Camaradou added.
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