Those who have previously tested positive for Covid-19 are at higher risk of developing certain heart conditions, experts have today warned.
People who had coronavirus in the last few months could be in danger of suffering potentially fatal complications, medics say.
New research states that people who have survived the deadly bug are more likely to suffer a heart attack.
The study claims it is irrespective of pre-existing conditions and the person's age.
The paper, published in Nature Medicine, is titled Long-term Cardiovascular Outcomes Of Covid-19.
Its analysis of 150,000 Covid-positive people shows that there was a "noticeably higher" rate of conditions such as strokes, coronary disease and heart failure.
Medics compared their results against 11 million people who never contracted the virus.
The risk of coronary artery disease was as high as 72%, while chances of a stroke were 52% higher, the research showed.
The experts said in the paper that the world should be prepared to deal with a "rise in the burden of cardiovascular diseases".
They said: “Because of the chronic nature of these conditions, they will likely have long-lasting consequences for patients and health systems and also have broad implications on economic productivity and life expectancy."
But Professor Paul Hunt, from the University of East Anglia, believes the risk of cardiovascular issues will fall as we come towards the end of the pandemic.
He told The Telegraph. "It’s a bit like smoking. When you’re smoking you have a certain increased risk, but it falls the year after you stop - and if you survive the year you have even less risk, we don’t know from this study how long the increased risk of heart disease lasts."
The study comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he plans to remove all remaining coronavirus restrictions in England a month early.
The current regulations were due to expire on 24 March.
"Providing the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive, a full month early," he today told MPs.
"It is my intention to return on the first day after the half-term recess to present our strategy for living with Covid.
"Provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions - including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive, a full month early."
