Before Helena caught Covid-19, she was healthy and working 60 hour weeks as a nanny in London and travelling around the UK.
Nine months later, she has been diagnosed with a heart and lung condition and has had to move back home with her parents in New Zealand. She hasn’t been able to work since, and even socialising can be too exhausting.
“I have completely changed, I've become a shell of the person I was.”
Helena tells us what it’s like living with Long Covid.
Long Covid is when symptoms persist three months after recovering from the virus. New research has shown 37 percent of Covid-19 survivors experience one or more health impacts three to six months after recovering. The most common symptoms are depression, anxiety, abnormal breathing, abdominal issues and fatigue.
Young people, women and those who experienced severe symptoms when infected with Covid-19 are the most likely groups to experience Long Covid symptoms. Helena’s story shows us why Covid-19 doesn’t just affect the old and vulnerable.