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With case numbers rising, notably in South Korea, Japan and some parts of Europe, an alarming death rate in Hong Kong, and the spread of a sub variant of Omicron, it's clear reports of the end of the pandemic have been exaggerated. Fairly on in the pandemic, it became clear that recovery from the virus is not the same for everyone, and some people take a long time to get back to normal health.

An analysis of long Covid, symptoms of fatigue, and ‘brain fog’ which occur long after initial infection, shows that up to a quarter of those infected develop these symptoms. Lucy Cheke of Cambridge University discusses the implications, and what the research has revealed about the most common symptom - brain fog. She says that the most reported feature of this was memory loss and cognitive ability - particularly being able to remember what people have said or process information. This is thought to be caused by inflammation in the brain, which disrupts normal function. She goes on to say that the more severe the infection, the greater the likelihood of developing long Covid, and that the most susceptible are women aged between 30 and 60. She says the best advice she can give is for people to rest, particularly in the early stages of infection or when they're starting to feel better. Vaccination also reduces the risk, by as much as 40 percent.

Photo: A woman looks puzzled during a conversation Credit: Getty Images