Long Covid sufferers are set to benefit from £19.6 million worth of new research programmes into the condition, the Government has announced.

The suite of 15 new research studies, backed by Government funding through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), are aimed at helping to better understand the condition, improve diagnosis and find new treatments.

Research from the NIHR and UK Research and Innovation shows that up to one in three people diagnosed with Covid continue to experience chronic symptoms for months after their initial diagnosis.

This new research is absolutely essential to improve diagnosis and treatments and will be life-changing for those who are battling long-term symptoms of the virus

The new research projects will allow researchers across the UK to draw together their expertise from analysing long Covid among those suffering long-term effects and the health and care professionals supporting them.

Among the projects will be the largest long Covid trial to date, recruiting more than 4,500 people with the condition to test the effectiveness of existing drugs on treating the lasting symptoms.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid called the research programmes “life changing” for long Covid sufferers.

He said: “Long Covid can have serious and debilitating long term effects for thousands of people across the UK which can make daily life extremely challenging.

“This new research is absolutely essential to improve diagnosis and treatments and will be life-changing for those who are battling long-term symptoms of the virus.

“It will build on our existing support, with over 80 long Covid assessment services open across England as part of a £100 million expansion of care for those suffering from the condition, and over £50 million invested in research to better understand the lasting effects of this condition.”