omicron wave infections and have said 'it's endemic, and we don't care any more, because it's very benign'," he said. "it just isn't. and there are new people joining the long covid support groups all the time with their disabilities. it's really not ok, and it's heartbreaking." the office for national statistics estimated that the number of people in the uk with continuing covid symptoms like fatigue, muscle pain and breathing problems has doubled in a year from 1 million in may 2021 to 2 million in may 2022. treatment facilities for patients with long covid are inadequate. the pandemic's major impact on the country's healthcare system, leading to long waiting lists for medical procedures and ambulances, also led to an indirect increase in deaths from other conditions. it also had a major mental health impact. in august 2021, a report from age uk found that 27% of people over 60 could not walk as far and 25% were living in more physical pain earlier this year compared to the start of the pandemic. 54% of older people felt less confident attending a hospital appointment, and 37% of older people felt less confident going to a gp surgery. education research by the sunday times reported that in 2021, the proportion of private school pupils receiving a*, a mark for exceptional achievement, was 39.5 per cent, rising from 16.1 per cent in 2019. the highest record in terms of increase came from the north london collegiate school, where senior fees could surpass £21,000 a year and the proportion of a* grades rose from 33.8 per cent in 2019 to 90.2 per cent in the summer of 2021. at 25 schools, the number of a* grades trebled or even quadrupled. these and other findings lead mps to call for an inquiry into the "manipulation" of the exam system during the covid-19 crisis. economy the pandemic was widely disruptive to the economy of the united kingdom, with most sectors and workforces adversely affected. some temporary shutdowns became permanent; some people who were furloughed were later made redundant. the economic disruption has had a significant impact on people's mental health—with particular damage to the mental health of foreign-born men whose work hours have been reduced/eliminated. society