Impressive results with long COVID pacing trial

A pacing rehabilitation programme that helps people with long COVID reduce their symptoms and increase activity levels has shown -impressive- results, say scientists. It is based on a gradual and clinically supervised increase in a patient's physical activity. Before the start of the programme, the people taking part in the programme were reporting on average three "crashes" a week where they were left physically, emotionally or cognitively exhausted after mild physical or mental exertion. Six weeks later, at the end of the programme, that was reduced to an average of one crash a week. The patients also experienced a "moderate improvement" in their ability to be active and better quality of life. The pacing programme was run by the long COVID service at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust and evaluated by clinicians and scientists at the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University. The findings are reported in the Journal of Medical Virology.