Carol Vorderman says she ‘couldn’t walk 100 yards’ for three months after catching long Covid

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Carol Vorderman has opened up about her experiences with long Covid after contracting coronavirus last year.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Monday (14 June), the former Countdown presenter revealed that she’d initially fallen ill before lockdown first began last year.

However, while Vorderman said she was “fine now”, the impact of coronavirus left her breathless and unable to walk short distances for three months.

“I got Covid before lockdown, long Covid,” she told hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley.

“You know I’m a walker, so I can be like, ‘Oh, off and find a nice little 15 miler today.’ I couldn’t walk 100 yards. And months later I still couldn’t. I would be like [heavy breathing]. Probably three months.”

Little is known about the long-term impacts of coronavirus, but many people have reported still feeling the impact of the virus months after first being diagnosed.

Earlier this month, it was reported that nearly 400,000 people still have long Covid one year after initial infection.

Women were more likely to be affected than men, along with those living in areas of deprivation, and staff working in health and social care.

The prevalence of long Covid was higher among those aged between 35 and 69, with side effects including difficulty concentrating and excessive fatigue.