Long COVID Symptoms in the ENT: Coordinating Community and Hospital Services in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a catastrophic effect on the entire world, and the WHO has described it as the worst global health emergency it has ever faced. A highly significant positive development was the relatively quick creation of safe and effective vaccines, but persistent problems like the appearance of variants that are highly contagious have complicated the plans for ending the pandemic. It is now a widely acknowledged fact that a sizable number of people who are infected will suffer for a long time from a complicated and potentially crippling chronic sickness, the so-called “Long COVID”. A significant portion of COVID-19 patients who experience ENT symptoms do not entirely recover from these symptoms. This article will discuss the ENT manifestations of COVID-19 along with their prevalence, pathogenesis, natural course, persistence in some individuals, and contribution to Long COVID-19. Also, it will go over broad guidelines and principles for treating patients with Long COVID as a whole, followed by a more detailed discussion of how ENT services in the UK could be set up in a way that is safe, efficient, and ensures that the workforce is utilised as effectively as possible.