Leicestershire man who overcame Covid-19 supporting new study into long-term health impacts of virus

A man from Leicestershire who overcame Covid-19 is supporting a new study into the long-term health impacts of the virus on patients who are admitted to hospital.

Alex Guerrero spent almost two weeks in intensive care after contracting the virus.

The PHOSP-COVID study, being led by experts in Leicester, has been awarded £8.4million jointly by UK Research and Innovation and the National Institute for Health Research. It's among a number of Covid-19 studies that have been given urgent public health research status by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Around 10,000 patients are expected to take part, making it the largest comprehensive study in the world to understand and improve the health of survivors after hospitalisation from COVID-19.

Chris Brightling, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Leicester, Consultant Respiratory Physician at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, and chief investigator for the study, said: "As we emerge from the first wave of the pandemic, we have new insights into the acute phase of this disease but very little information about patients' long term needs. It is vitally important that we rapidly gather evidence on the longer term consequences of contracting severe COVID-19 so we can develop and test new treatment strategies for them and other people affected by future waves of the disease."

Patients on the study will be assessed using techniques such as advanced imaging, data collection and analysis of blood and lung samples, creating a comprehensive picture of the impact COVID-19 has had on longer term health outcomes across the UK.