KIU, Main Campus câ¬â?? Doctors say that câ¬Ë?Long COVIDcâ¬â?c, sometimes referred to as the ongoing sickness after infection, may not be one syndrome but possibly up to four causing a rollercoaster of symptoms affecting all parts of the body and mind.

Britain's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), in an initial report about long-term COVID-19, said one common theme among ongoing COVID patients - some of whom are seven months or more into their illness - is that symptoms appear in one physiological area, such as the heart or lungs, only to abate and then arise again in a different area.

"This review highlights the detrimental physical and psychological impact that ongoing COVID is having on many people's lives," said Dr Elaine Maxwell, who led the report.

Data from a Kingcâ¬â?cs College London-devised symptom tracker app, according to UK-based patient group LongCovidSOS, shows that 10% of COVID-19 patients remain unwell after three weeks, and up to 5% may continue to be sick for months.

Dr. Maxwell, who presented the findings of the "Living with COVID" report in an online media briefing, said health services are already struggling "to manage these new and fluctuating patterns of symptoms and problems".

She and her co-authors have urged patients and doctors to log and track symptoms so that health researchers can learn more about the condition and how to ease it as swiftly as possible.

"While this is a new disease and we are learning more about its impact..., services will need to be better equipped to support people with ongoing COVID, as emerging evidence is showing there are significant psychological and social impacts that will have long term consequences," the report conclusively said.