The Health Service Executive Lead for Long Covid has said extreme tiredness and shortness of breath are some of the typical symptoms people are suffering from more than 12 weeks after a Covid-19 infection.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Siobhán Ní Bhriain also said there is no single treatment available for it and the HSE is trying to "build up" expertise on Long Covid.
Her comments come ahead of a conference taking place today to assess the next steps for addressing the impact of Long Covid in Ireland.
She said the approach is to provide care to those suffering with Long Covid as close to home as possible and they have done a lot of work with GPs updating them on the situation and what the expectations are.
"We have six Long Covid clinics planned for around the country, so people will have access closer to their homes around the country.
"Most of them are up and running. We are not fully recruited yet. Most care will be in primary care but pathways into the clinics in the hospitals for Long Covid and a specialist clinic for people who have got complex psychological symptoms in St James's Hospital."
Dr Ní Bhriain said the HSE is also conducting a follow-up study to get a "real sense" of what the presence of Long Covid is in Ireland.
"So we will be looking at people who got infected between March 2020 and 31 January 2022."
She said for the vast majority of people who had Covid no longer have symptoms.
"The vast majority of studies, for most, well over 95% of people, their symptoms have resolved after one year."
She said that is still a long time, as she discussed ways to help people who are still suffering from Long Covid.
She said it includes offering support, which is currently provided by GPs and practitioners in Long Covid clinics.
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Dr Ní Bhriain said evidence is emerging where it looks like there is "lots of similarity" between the symptoms people get after Covid and after other severe respiratory tract infections.
She also said there is no correlation between the severity of the initial infection that people get and the possibility of them getting Long Covid.
"You could have a mild infection and get severe Long Covid or you could have a severe infection and not get Long Covid at all.
"So, the best way to avoid it is to obviously to avoid the illness and if you can to get vaccinated because we do know that vaccination reduces the risk of getting Long Covid as well."
