Thousands of people in south Essex are suffering with long Covid, estimates suggest.

The Long Covid SOS charity called on the Government to stop putting its "head in the sand" and take action to reduce the growing number of long Covid sufferers.

The annual GP Patient Survey polled patients in thousands of practices across England between January and April on various aspects of their health.

This included 23 practices in the NHS Castle Point and Rochford CCG area, 25 in the NHS Southend area and 35 in NHS Basildon and Brentwood area.

Patients were asked if they were still experiencing symptoms more than 12 weeks after they first had Covid-19, that could not be explained by something else.

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Here is each area's results:

Southend

Of the 2,192 respondents in Southend, 112 (5.1 per cent) said they had symptoms of long Covid.

Applying this rate to the latest population estimate for the CCG area as a whole means 7,492 people aged 16 and over in the area could be suffering from lingering health problems.

The GP survey showed that the vast majority (86 per cent) of patients who responded to the survey in Southend said they did not have long Covid symptoms.

But 8.2 per cent said they were unsure and 0.7 per cent preferred not to answer.

Basildon and Brentwood

Of the 3,244 respondents in Basildon and Brentwood, 158 (4.9 per cent) said they had symptoms of long Covid.

Applying this rate to the latest population estimate for the CCG area as a whole means 10,312 people aged 16 and over in the area could be suffering from lingering health problems.

The vast majority (86.2 per cent) of patients who responded to the survey in this area said they did not have long Covid symptoms.

But 8 per cent said they were unsure and 0.9 per cent preferred not to answer.

Castle Point and Rochford

Of the 2,192 respondents in Castle Point and Rochford, 126 (5.8 per cent) said they had symptoms of long Covid.

Applying this rate to the latest population estimate for the CCG area as a whole means 8,557 people aged 16 and over in the area could be suffering from lingering health problems.

The GP survey showed that the vast majority (86.6 per cent) of patients who responded to the survey in this area said they did not have long Covid symptoms.

However, 6.9 per cent said they were unsure and 0.7 per cent preferred not to answer.

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Across England, 4.4 per cent of GP patients said they had long Covid symptoms – which can include fatigue, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations – around 2 million people.

Long Covid SOS said this rate is higher than estimates by the Office for National Statistics, but it is also possible that many people may not be aware that they have it at all.

Ondine Sherwood, co-founder of the charity, said most sufferers are unable to obtain any meaningful treatment, and for many even that is not available due to lengthy waiting lists.

She said stricter infection control measures, more healthcare investment and increased research funding are needed.

The Department of Health and Social Care said more than £50 million has gone to help scientists understand the virus's long-term debilitating effects, while the NHS has committed £224 million to support people with ongoing symptoms.

A spokesman added: “The best way to protect yourself from Covid is by getting the vaccine, and our world-leading programme has delivered over 150 million jabs.”