Long Covid is the prolonged experiencing of symptoms of coronavirus. According to figures from the ONS (Office for National Statistics), around two million people in the UK have the disease. Meanwhile, a team from King’s College London has been looking into whether the risk of long Covid declined with a change in variants and the rise of omicron. After careful analysis, the scientists have reached their conclusion.
In a report published in The Lancet, the researchers found omicron was less likely to cause long Covid than delta, the previously dominant variant in the UK.
The conclusion was reached after the analysis of over 100,000 patients who had logged their Covid symptoms on the COVID ZOE app developed by the university.
Of these, around four percent infected with Omicron had logged long Covid symptoms.
In contrast, around 10 percent had logged long Covid symptoms after infection by the delta variant.
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Writing in The Lancet, the authors wrote: “Overall, we found a reduction in odds of long Covid with the omicron variant versus the delta variant of 0·24–0·50 depending on age and time since vaccination.
“However, the absolute number of people experiencing long Covid at a given time depends on the shape and amplitude of the pandemic curve.”
They added: “We believe this is the first peer-reviewed study to report on long Covid risk associated with infection by the omicron variant, highlighting that health surveillance using smartphone apps can produce rapid insights, which we have consistently shown are accurate and subsequently replicated.”
However, the researchers cautioned they had “insufficient data to estimate the odds of long Covid in unvaccinated individuals and did not estimate effects in children”.
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Although anyone can catch monkeypox, those most at risk include sexually active young men.
In a statement, in the Incident Director for the UKHSA (United Kingdom Health Security Agency) Doctor William Welfare said: “As case numbers of monkeypox continue to rise and with many summer events and festivals ahead, we’re reminding people to be aware of the symptoms of monkeypox, particularly if you’ve recently had new or multiple sexual partners, to help prevent further spread and protect others.
“If you have a rash with blisters, or any other monkeypox symptoms, don’t go to events, meet with friends or have sexual contact.”
Doctor Welfare added: “Instead, stay at home and contact 111 or your local sexual health service for advice. Please contact the clinic ahead of your visit and avoid close contact with others until you’ve been seen by a clinician.”
