Four in ten healthcare workers affected by Covid developed long Covid

Four in ten healthcare workers who contracted Covid-19 during the pandemic went on to develop long Covid, with around a quarter of those affected continuing to experience symptoms more than a year later, new research has found.

The findings highlight the lasting impact of the pandemic on the healthcare workforce, years after frontline staff faced unprecedented levels of exposure to the virus.

The report, from the NHS Race and Health Observatory, examined evidence from around the world to understand the medium and long-term effects of Covid-19 on healthcare workers and the factors that may have increased their risk of developing long Covid.

Researchers combined a systematic review of international studies with survey data from more than 11,500 UK healthcare workers, alongside interviews with healthcare workers, managers and members of their support networks.

Across the studies included in the review, around 40% of healthcare workers who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 were found to have developed long Covid. The research also found that for a significant proportion of workers, recovery was far from quick, with approximately one in four of those affected continuing to experience symptoms after a year.

The research considered a range of factors potentially associated with long Covid risk, including ethnicity, migration status, vaccination history, clinical circumstances and occupational exposure.

Long Covid can involve a wide range of persistent symptoms following the initial infection, including fatigue, breathlessness, cognitive difficulties and pain. For healthcare professionals, ongoing symptoms can also affect their ability to work, return to previous duties or maintain the hours they worked before becoming ill.

The findings provide another indication of the longer-term workforce consequences of the pandemic. While the immediate pressures of Covid-19 have eased considerably, thousands of healthcare workers continue to live with its effects.

The research also raises questions about the support available to healthcare professionals experiencing long-term illness, particularly as health services continue to face workforce shortages and pressure on existing staff.

The findings were reported by The BMJ on 20 August 2026.

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