Long Covid less likely after Omicron infection

London: The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is much less likely to lead to long Covid than the variant circulating at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, new research shows.

The study found that healthcare workers infected with the original wild-type virus were up to 67 per cent more likely to report symptoms of long Covid than those who hadn't had Covid-19.

However, people who were first infected with the Omicron variant were no more likely to report long Covid symptoms than those who'd never had Covid-19. The research also found that having Omicron after a wild-type infection does not carry a greater risk of long Covid or fatigue than having a wild-type infection alone.

Further, the analysis also revealed that re-infection - an Omicron infection after a wild-type infection - didn't carry a greater risk of long Covid or fatigue 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.