• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind

2

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

3

Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem

1

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind

2

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

3

Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
Health

‘Long COVID’ hits mental health and ability to work, new data suggests

By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 21, 2021, 11:00 AM ET
Video Poster
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The phenomenon of “long COVID,” lingering symptoms that can last for months after infection, is still far from being well understood, but data is starting to emerge that can give a clearer picture of COVID’s long-term effects. And one of the most useful sources of that data, the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics, just released early findings that could have serious implications for the policies chosen by governments and businesses.

Having already released data on long COVID’s physical effects earlier this month—the most common are fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle aches, and difficulty concentrating—the ONS said Wednesday that 30% of COVID-19 long-haulers reported experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of depression. That’s nearly twice the rate for those who had not been infected.

The same proportion said the condition had negatively affected their work, and 39% said it had reduced their ability to exercise.

The data comes from polling, conducted between April and June, that garnered responses from nearly 40,000 people aged 16 or older; the symptoms were self-reported rather than clinically diagnosed. Just over 16% of the total said they had had COVID, and nearly two in five of those people said they had definitely or possibly experienced long COVID.

Overall, 57% of the self-identified long-COVID sufferers said the experience had negatively affected their general well-being. They were more likely to say they had become anxious, less satisfied with life, less fulfilled, and less happy. And 22% (versus 13% for those who had not had COVID-19) said their household finances had been affected.

Among people who may have had long COVID, all measures of personal well-being were worse than for people who hadn’t had #COVID19 at all, including higher anxiety and lower life satisfaction and happiness https://t.co/YWyZKMMGDp pic.twitter.com/sTUhAkU3kk

— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) July 21, 2021

“Although no single definition of long COVID exists it is likely it affects people in different ways,” said Tim Vizard, the ONS’s principal research officer, in a statement. “Today’s research highlights the potential for people’s mental health, well-being, or work to be impacted by long COVID. We’ve found more people who may have had long COVID report negative impacts.”

However, Vizard warned, “more work is needed to disentangle the effects of long COVID from a variety of factors such as age, sex, or disability.”

The ONS’s survey results come days after England removed nearly all COVID restrictions, despite the rapid spread of the coronavirus’s Delta variant.

Boris Johnson’s administration did this largely because most British adults are now vaccinated, so the link between infections and hospitalizations and deaths has been “severed,” as Johnson put it.

So far, it is true that the U.K.’s third wave of infections has not been matched by a huge rise in hospitalizations and deaths—though the wave is only expected to peak next month, so it’s too early to confirm that the strategy has paid off on the basis of that metric.

However, even if relatively few of the 46,558 people whose infections were reported Tuesday end up in the hospital, the ONS’s data—early-stage as it is—suggests one or two thousand could be left with longer-lasting symptoms that could affect their general well-being or their ability to do their jobs.

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.

About the Author
By David Meyer
LinkedIn icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Health

Hasbro’s growth strategy isn’t just about kids anymore—it’s about ‘kidults’
Healthchief executive officer (CEO)
Hasbro’s growth strategy isn’t just about kids anymore—it’s about ‘kidults’
By Phil WahbaJuly 23, 2026
2 hours ago
The Top Fitness and Wellness Gifts (2026): For the Busy Gym-Goer in Your Life
HealthFitness
The Top Fitness and Wellness Gifts (2026): For the Busy Gym-Goer in Your Life
By Christina SnyderJuly 22, 2026
13 hours ago
An Ebola healthcare worker is assisted putting on protective equipment in a treatment center.
HealthEbola
Nearly 1,000 people dead from Ebola outbreak in Congo amid health worker strike
By The Associated Press, Prosper Heri Ngorora and Constant Same BagalwaJuly 22, 2026
16 hours ago
The American Heart Association has a new number for daily coffee—and a warning if you go over it
Successlifestyle
The American Heart Association has a new number for daily coffee—and a warning if you go over it
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 22, 2026
1 day ago
The Best Fiber Supplements of 2026: Tested and Reviewed
HealthDietary Supplements
The Best Fiber Supplements of 2026: Tested and Reviewed
By Christina SnyderJuly 21, 2026
2 days ago
A family crisis inspired Bill Ackman to spend $260 million to create a massive brain research institute in Manhattan
InnovationBill Ackman
A family crisis inspired Bill Ackman to spend $260 million to create a massive brain research institute in Manhattan
By Jeff John RobertsJuly 21, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
Real Estate
The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 22, 2026
17 hours ago
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
3 days ago
Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
AI
Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
By Eva RoytburgJuly 21, 2026
2 days ago
OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation
Cybersecurity
OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation
By Jeremy Kahn and Emily ForliniJuly 21, 2026
2 days ago
Despite a $156 million contract, Knicks star Jalen Brunson still calls his parents for financial advice any time he makes a big purchase
Success
Despite a $156 million contract, Knicks star Jalen Brunson still calls his parents for financial advice any time he makes a big purchase
By Emma BurleighJuly 21, 2026
2 days ago
Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold—and that it doesn’t matter for the dollar
Economy
Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold—and that it doesn’t matter for the dollar
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 22, 2026
14 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.