Please find below comment from Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity SANE, on research from the University of Oxford that suggests people who have had Covid-19 are at high risk of developing later anxiety and mood disorders:

“This study highlights the urgency of accelerating the Government’s programme to improve mental health services, to meet what could be a significant increase in the number of people needing support and treatment in the coming months.

“The findings suggest large numbers of people with a previous Covid infection, including those who had not been hospitalised, may develop depression or other mood or anxiety disorders as a consequence. Services are already under considerable strain and without emergency investment we fear people could be left with no-one to talk to and nowhere to turn.”