Omicron less likely to cause long COVID – UK study

People stroll alongside a system at Kings Cross coach station for the duration of early morning hurry hour, amid the coronavirus condition (COVID-19) outbreak in London, Britain, December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

LONDON, June 16 (Reuters) – The Omicron variant of coronavirus is fewer very likely to cause lengthy COVID than preceding variants, according to the 1st peer-reviewed examine of its kind from the United Kingdom.

Researchers at King’s Faculty London, making use of knowledge from the ZOE COVID Symptom review application, found the odds of developing very long COVID just after infection were being 20% to 50% decrease all through the Omicron wave in the Uk compared to Delta. The figure diverse relying on the patient’s age and the timing of their previous vaccination.

Very long COVID, which contains prolonged indications ranging from tiredness to ‘brain fog’, can be debilitating and continue on for months or months. It is more and more becoming recognised as a community health and fitness problem, and researchers have been racing to discover out if Omicron presents as huge a possibility of prolonged COVID as formerly dominant variants.

The review from King’s is believed to be the initial educational exploration to show Omicron does not present as good a hazard of extended COVID, but that does not suggest very long COVID affected person quantities are dropping, the staff explained.

While the danger of prolonged COVID was decrease all through Omicron, extra people today have been contaminated, so the complete range now struggling is increased.

“It is really great information, but remember to you should not decommission any of your very long COVID companies,” lead researcher Dr Claire Steves told Reuters, desirable to overall health-service suppliers.

The UK’s Workplace for Countrywide Studies reported in Might that 438,000 persons in the state have prolonged COVID soon after Omicron infection, symbolizing 24% of all lengthy COVID patients.

It also mentioned the chance of lingering signs following Omicron was reduced than with Delta, but only for double-vaccinated individuals. It discovered no statistical difference for all those who ended up triple vaccinated.

In the King’s study, 4.5% of the 56,003 people researched throughout Omicron’s peak, December 2021-March 2022, noted extended COVID. That as opposed to 10.8% of 41,361 people today during the Delta wave, June-November 2021. It did not compare vaccinated and unvaccinated persons.

When the analyze – revealed in The Lancet journal on Thursday – in contrast Delta and Omicron, Dr Steves explained previous operate had confirmed no substantial variation in prolonged COVID danger in between other variants.

Much more function was required to set up why Omicron may possibly have a lower prolonged COVID danger, the workforce additional.

Reporting by Jennifer Rigby
Editing by Bernadette Baum

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