"I feel like I had to keep reminding myself to breathe."

These are the words of Lisa More, who grew up in Ainsworth and believes she had two bouts of coronavirus in a few months.

She still often feels very tired eight weeks after her Covid-19-like symptoms faded.

The former Tottington High School pupil is speaking about her experience at a time when the Government has just started a study on the long-term physical and mental health implications of Covid-19.

Lisa, 31, who has medication for panic attacks and anxiety but is otherwise healthy, did not have to stay over in hospital but she spent weeks recovering at home.

Lisa made notes in a diary as her symptoms developed and has shared her experience with Facebook recovery support groups to help others.

She started feeling unwell on March 7 when she described herself as getting a normal cold.

However, Lisa was unable to shrug off the illness and felt unwell for another two weeks.

She woke up with a very sore throat on March 21 and her health worsened.

Lisa had a high temperature, was unable to sleep or eat, had chest pains, other aches and bile, which had built up in her throat during the day, led to her vomiting at night.

Her condition reached its worst on March 27 though.

She said: "I was delirious for three hours, really breathless and I had lost my sense of smell and taste.

"I fainted and my partner Sheldon called 101 and he took me to A&E at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

"I was told I was fit and healthy so I would be able to recover at home."

Bury Times:

Lisa with her partner Sheldon Jolly

Lisa's health improved on April 7 but two weeks later on April 21 she started getting symptoms again, and she felt ill for another 19 days.

She had a coronavirus test in June which returned negative, but she said she was no longer displaying symptoms when she took it.

Recalling the height of her illness, Lisa said: "I learnt to really appreciate breathing.

"I would not wish this on my worst enemy – it was an awful, isolating experience.

"When I was ill I thought I have to get up out of bed and walk around to do something.

"I did not know what was going to happen to me."

Lisa, who hopes to have an antibody test to check if she has has COVID-19, still feels tired months after being really ill and urges people to continue being careful to help avoid them catching the virus.

Meanwhile, the Government has launched a study on the long-term physical and mental health effects of coronavirus.

Around 10,000 patients are expected to take part in the the PHOSP-COVID study, which will assess and publish findings on the impact of the virus on patient health and their recovery.

It will look at possible ways to help improve the mental health of patients hospitalised with coronavirus, and how individual characteristics influence recovery, such as gender or ethnicity.

Patients on the study from across the UK 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 on longer-term health outcomes.

The findings will support the development of new strategies for clinical and rehabilitation care, including personalised treatments based on the particular disease characteristics that a patient shows, to improve their long-term health.

For patients who were hospitalised and have since been discharged, it is not yet clear what their medical, psychological and rehabilitation needs will be to enable them to make as full a recovery as possible.

The study follows the announcement of an on-demand recovery service to be launched for tens of thousands of people suffering from the long-term effects of coronavirus.