Long Covid Much Less Likely After Omicron: Study

News Desk

Islamabad: The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is far less likely to cause long-term Covid than the variant that was prevalent during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new research.

The study revealed that healthcare workers who had contracted the initial wild-type virus were up to 67 per cent more likely than those who hadn’t to report experiencing long-term Covid symptoms.

However, individuals who initially contracted the Omicron version did not have a higher likelihood of reporting prolonged Covid symptoms than individuals who had never contracted Covid-19.

The study also discovered that having Omicron after a wild-type infection carries the same risk of fatigue and lengthy Covid as a wild-type infection alone. In addition, the research showed that re-infection, or an Omicron infection following a wild-type infection, didn’t entail a higher risk of fatigue or a lengthy Covid than a wild-type infection alone.

Similarly, vaccination did not affect the risk of long Covid or fatigue in those who had Omicron after the wild-type virus.

“It’s probably due to a combination of the Omicron variant being less likely to cause severe illness than the wild-type virus. We know that long Covid is more common after severe illness and immunity acquired through previous exposure to the virus through, for example, a subclinical infection without seroconversion,” stated Cantonal Hospital St Gallen Switzerland Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology Dr Carol Strahm.

Dr Carolsaid, “Long Covid is a substantial public health issue with extended, occasionally devastating illness, limited treatment choices, and unknown prognosis. It is crucial to learn more about who is at risk of long Covid and why.”

Among 1,201 healthcare professionals infected with the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 virus, the omicron variant (BA.1), or both for the study, the team evaluated frequencies of long Covid symptoms and compared these to uninfected controls.

The participants, who were recruited between June and September 2020, underwent regular testing for Covid-19 (nasopharyngeal swabs and antibody tests) and provided information on their vaccination status until June 2022.

The findings will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2023) scheduled to be held in Copenhagen in April.