Only 29% of people hospitalized with Covid make a full recovery within a year, according to a study

A team of researchers from Leicester University found that women are still the most likely to feel the effects of the coronavirus, while obese people have also been hit the hardest

Just 29% of people hospitalized with Covid make a full recovery after a year, a worrying study has found.

Hundreds of thousands who have been treated for the virus are still suffering from symptoms including fatigue, muscle aches, trouble sleeping and shortness of breath, experts believe.

The results show that the legacy of the pandemic will be “enormous,” said one of the study authors.

A team of researchers from the University of Leicester found that women were most likely to feel the effects, while obese people were also hit the hardest.

It shows the urgent need to treat Long Covid properly, experts say.

Rachael Evans, one of the report’s authors, said: “With more than 750,000 people hospitalized with Covid-19 in the UK over the past two years, our research suggests the legacy of this disease will be enormously.”

Co-author Prof Chris Brightling added: “Without effective treatments, Long Covid could become a widespread, long-term condition.”

The study followed the recovery of more than 2,000 people who had been treated for Covid-19 at one of 39 NHS hospitals.

Ms Evans said: “We found that only 25% of people who had been hospitalized with Covid-19 had fully recovered five months after being discharged, a number that rose only slightly to 29% after a year .

“That was a very limited rate of recovery in terms of mental health improvements, organ impairment and quality of life. It was noticeable.”

Those who required mechanical ventilation were among those who had poorer recovery rates, the study found.

Ms Evans said: “If you’re a man you’re more likely to be admitted to hospital if you get Covid-19 but have one [higher] Chance to feel better when you come out.

“We found that women and obesity were major risk factors for not recovering after one year.”

Prof Louise Wain said the results underscore the need for effective treatment of the most severe Covid cases.

She said: “There are no specific therapeutics for long Covid and our data show that effective interventions are urgently needed.”