Common Misconceptions
Misconception 1
Long Covid is rare.
Fact
Long Covid affects over 400 million people worldwide, 36 million in the EU.
Long Covid’s true scale is easy to miss: when symptoms flare, people step back from work and social life.
Misconception 2
Long Covid does not affect healthy people.
Fact
Even excellent health is no guarantee of protection from Long Covid.
Previously fit and healthy people - including top athletes - have been affected.
Misconception 3
Treating “negative feelings and illness beliefs” can cure Long Covid.
Fact
Long Covid has biological causes including vascular and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Treating “negative feelings or illness beliefs” will not fix these physiological conditions.
Misconception 4
Most people who are diagnosed with Long Covid soon recover.
Fact
Most people who are diagnosed with Long Covid will experience symptoms that can last for many years.
Long Covid causes dynamic disability, meaning that symptoms can improve or worsen over time.
Misconception 5
A person with Long Covid is not at risk from future infections.
Fact
They are at risk, and in many cases, repeated infections can make Long Covid symptoms a lot worse.
Misconception 6
Regular infections are necessary to maintain a healthy immune system.
Fact
Multiple infections or other “hits” can contribute to the development of chronic symptoms over time.
A recent study found that the Covid virus can prime the brain’s inflammatory response, increasing the effect of future “hits”.
There are better ways to strengthen our immunity.
Misconception 7
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is an effective treatment.
Fact
The original research supporting certain types of CBT has “serious flaws”. NICE described it as “only an adjunctive and not a curative treatment”.
Long Covid has physiological drivers. Therapy can help people come to terms with the condition, but it is not a treatment.
Misconception 8
Graded Exercise Therapy is safe
Fact
The original research supporting Graded Exercise Therapy has “serious flaws”. NICE described it as “harmful and should not be used”.
‘Pushing through’ can cause someone with Long Covid to crash and become very unwell.