Researchers In England Developing Blood Test For COVID-19 Long-haulers

Researchers in England are developing a simple blood test that could tell if you're a COVID-19 long-hauler. An estimated one in 20 people who suffered from the disease are dealing with long-term symptoms.

Scientists at Imperial College London found "autoantibodies," which attack healthy cells, in the blood of a small number of people with long COVID. "The pilot data we have says that you really can pick up different patterns of autoimmunity in people who have long COVID," says Professor Daniel Altmann.

Even though millions of people around the world are living with lingering COVID symptoms, there's no test to diagnose long COVID. Researchers say these findings could change that. "I hope that within six months we'd have a simple blood test that you could get," Professor Altmann says.

The initial study was small, only looking at blood from dozens of people. Researchers will now scale that up to learn even more.

Experts say long COVID can develop from any form of the infection, whether it was mild, severe, or even asymptomatic. The condition affects people of all ages, including children and people who were previously fit and healthy.

As a busy working mom, Lucy Adams needs all the energy she can get. But the 44-year-old from Scotland says she feels twice her age after catching COVID last year. The BBC reporter kept a video diary of her struggles with long COVID, including pain, vertigo, migraines, and blurred vision. "I look fine on the outside, but obviously there's still a problem. I've been off work for almost a year." Adams says she's starting to get her life back but worries it may never be like it was before COVID.