Long Covid has a major effect on the personal lives of sufferers because they are unable to participate fully in normal social activities, according to research published on Wednesday by the public health institute RIVM.

A large proportion are unable to go to school or work as they should and many report limits to their social lives, the research by the disaster health network GOR showed. The lack of energy patients suffer also restricts their interaction with friends and family and their ability to travel.

Some 12,000 people who have had coronavirus took part in the survey and 3% of them said they had long-term complaints.

Almost half of them said they cannot go to school or college like they used to and 20% have dropped out. Some 34% of people who were in work are either working less or have stopped working altogether, the survey showed.

Some 100,000 people in the Netherlands are suffering from serious Long Covid complaints following an infection with the virus. The effects include extreme tiredness, confusion and loss of concentration.