The Researcher from King’s College London in the United Kingdom has looked into the effects of the COVID-19 variants, Omicron and Delta, as well as how this affects the risk of developing Long COVID.
The study found that people infected with the Omicron variant have a 20-50 percent lower risk of developing it than people who have contracted the Delta variant, as per the study published last Thursday.
The scientists examined data from COVID-19 patients when Omicron raged all over the United Kingdom from December 2021 to March 2022. They compared it to patients who were caught the virus during the Delta wave from June to November 2021.
Moreover, out of the 56,003 patients in the Omicron group, 4.5 percent caught Long COVID, while out of the 41,361 patients from the Delta cohort, 10.8 percent had got it.
Scientists warn of the dangers of underestimating the need for care about Long COVID. Although the risk may be lower with the Omicron variant, it is still much more contagious than Delta, so many more patients with Long COVID have been added in absolute numbers.
Along with this, the study’s lead researcher, Claire Steves, mentioned in the statement, “I wouldn’t close the services around Long Covid just yet.”
As per the UK’s National Statistical Office, there are currently 238,000 patients with long-term COVID from Omicron in the nation, which is 24 percent of all the United Kingdom’s long-term COVID-19 patients.
According to Belgium’s Sciensano Institute of Public Health, COVID-19 cases are increasing in the country in Western Europe. Furthermore, about 2,432 COVID-19 infections were discovered every day between 7 and 14 June, a 79 percent increase compared to the week before.
