It was found that the probability of a long Covid-19 was 20% to 50% lower on Omicron, compared to the period when Delta dominated.
THE Omicron variant of the coronavirus is less likely to cause long Covid-19 with persistent symptoms for months after the initial infection, than the previous Delta variant, concluded a new British scientific study.
His researchers King’s College Londonheaded by Dr. Claire Steves, who made the relevant publication in the medical journal “The Lancet”, analyzed data for 56,000 adults tested positive in the coronavirus between December 2021-March 2022 (when Omicron was predominant), compared to data for 41,361 people who had a positive diagnosis between June-November 2021 (Delta dominance period).
It was found that the probability of long Covid-19 was 20% to 50% lower on Omicron, depending on the age of the patient and the time of vaccination. 4.4% of Omicron infection cases resulted in long Covid-19, compared with 10.8% of Delta cases.
On the other hand, in absolute numbers, more people had long Covid-19s on Omicron than on Delta, because the total infections were much more on Omicron. Thus, according to the British Statistical Office, it is estimated that the number of people with long Covid-19 in the country increased from 1.3 million this year in January to about 2 million in May.
Steve said that “The Omicron variant seems much less likely to cause long-term Covid-19 than previous variants. However, one in 23 people infected with Covid-19 will eventually have symptoms for more than four weeks.”
The main persistent symptomsbased on data from the British online application ZOE Covid Symptom Study, is the fatiguethe shortness of breaththe difficulty concentrating and the joint pains. In some cases, persistent symptoms can make daily activities difficult and worsen the quality of life.
