OXFORD researchers have found attention and memory loss can carry on months after recovery from mild Covid.

Experts from the University of Oxford’s Department of Experimental Psychology, and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences say people can complain of degraded attention and memory for up to nine months.

Participants in the study were asked to complete a number of exercises to test their memory and cognitive ability, such as sustaining attention, memory and planning.

Researchers found participants performed well in most abilities tested, but displayed significantly worse episodic memory – that of everyday events – and a greater decline in the ability to sustain attention over time, than uninfected people.

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Dr Sija Zhao, of the Department of Experimental Psychology, said: “What is surprising is that although our Covid-19 survivors did not feel any more symptomatic at the time of testing, they showed degraded attention and memory.

“Our findings reveal that people can experience some chronic cognitive consequences for months.”

Professor Masud Husain, from the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, added: “We still do not understand the mechanisms that cause these cognitive deficits, but it is very encouraging to see that these attention and memory return largely to normal in most people we tested by six to nine months after infection, who demonstrated good recovery over time.”