Long COVID affects everyone differently, and we know that a one size fits all approach won’t work. We'll support you on y our road to recovery – whether that’s physiotherapy or referral to a specialist consultant if you have included an outpatient option on your plan, or access to a 12- week rehabilitation programme.
What’s long COVID?
Most people recover fully from COVID-19. But for some, it's a long road to recovery, with symptoms that continue several weeks after they caught the virus. These effects are now being recognised as a new condition – long COVID.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence describes symptoms lasting 4-12 weeks after initial infection as “ongoing symptomatic COVID-19” and symptoms after 12 weeks as “post-COVID-19 syndrome”, also known as long COVID.
The symptoms of long COVID include:
- fatigue
- muscle and body aches
- shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- loss of hearing
- confusion
- sharp or sudden chest pain
- depression and/or post-traumatic stress disorder
- cognitive impairment.
One in ten* people who test positive for COVID-19 report symptoms lasting 12 weeks or more. Long COVID isn't just a long recovery from the original virus. Even people who have relatively mild cases can be left with lasting and severe health problems that render them unable to work, and require them to adapt their lives to cope with the symptoms.
* The prevalence of long COVID symptoms and COVID-19 complications – Office for National Statistics.
Helping our members on the road to recovery
If you’ve been referred for support with long COVID – don’t feel lost or alone. We can help. The sooner you can get treatment, the sooner you can start on the road to recovery. The rehabilitation programme we’ve got in place gives AXA Health members access to as much support as possible from home, even fitting around your working day, if needed.
How to access this service
- If you have a referral to see a specialist for Long COVID, give us a call and we’ll book an appointment for you, at a time and a place that suits you best.
- If you’ve been referred for physiotherapy**, we can help you set up a face to face or remote video appointment that are convenient for you. And if your physiotherapist believes you would benefit from further support, they can refer you on to the rehabilitation programme.
- The rehabilitation programme includes weekly calls with a specially trained rehabilitation physiotherapist, online group support and plenty of tailored resources – because everyone experiences long COVID differently.
**The rehabilitation programme sits outside of out-patient and therapy benefit limitations, but excess will apply.