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Longer COVID risk from Omicron lower than Delta variant, coronavirus study shows | UK News



According to a new study, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is less likely to cause COVID than the Delta strain.

Research conducted by King’s College London, found that the rate spent over a long time COVID 20% to 50% lower in Omicron when compared with Delta variant, depending on age and time since vaccination.

The researchers used data from the Zoe COVID Symptoms study and lead author Dr Claire Steves said: “The Omicron variant is essentially less likely to cause long-term COVID than previous variants. Still, one in 23 people with COVID-19 continues to have symptoms for more than four weeks.

“Given the number of people affected, it is important that we continue to support them at work, at home and in the NHS.”

The analysis found that 4.4% of Omicron cases had long-term COVID but more than twice that (10.8%) of Delta cases had long-term COVID.

However, the number of people with long-term COVID was higher during the Omicron period due to the number of variant infections during the peak period in the UK between December 2021 and February 2022.

The Office for National Statistics estimates that the number of people with persistent COVID-19 has increased from 1.3 million in January 2022 to 2 million as of May 1.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) defines long-term COVID as having new or ongoing symptoms four or more weeks after initial infection.

Symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of concentration, and joint pain or affected daily activities that for some people can be severely limited.

Read more:
For the first time in two months, infections increase in the UK
What is that really like in care homes?
People with persistent COVID ‘consider buying oxygen separately’

The study, published in a letter to The Lancet, identified 56,003 UK adults who tested positive between December 20, 2021 and March 9, 2022, when Omicrons prevailed. position.

The researchers compared these cases with the first 41,361 cases that tested positive between June 1 and November 27, 2021, when Delta was dominant.



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