Prolonged COVID is grand much less in all probability after omicron than after initial pandemic variant, finds contemporary study

The omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is grand much less in all probability to outcome in lengthy COVID than the variant circulating in the initiating of the COVID-19 pandemic, contemporary study being equipped at this yr’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Illnesses (ECCMID 2023, Copenhagen, April 15-18) suggests.

The Swiss see found that health care employees infected with the contemporary wild-kind virus were as a lot as 67% in all probability to describe signs of lengthy COVID than of us that hadn’t had COVID-19.

On the other hand, health care employees whose first an infection modified into once with the omicron variant were no in all probability to describe lengthy COVID signs than of us that’d by no scheme had COVID-19.

The study also found that having omicron after a wild-kind an infection didn’t elevate a elevated menace of lengthy COVID or fatigue than having a wild-kind an infection alone.

“Prolonged COVID is a serious public health enlighten with prolonged, usually debilitating, illness, exiguous therapy alternate suggestions and unsure final outcome,” says Dr. Carol Strahm, of the Division of Infectious Illnesses and Hospital Epidemiology, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland, who will screen the study.

“On the other hand, many of the guidelines on it comes from people who reduced in size COVID-19 slightly early in the pandemic, sooner than the emergence of the omicron variant in the direction of the tip of 2021.

“With the emergence of omicron, its ongoing international dominance and the accompanying explosion of infections, it is notable to search out out more about who is in effort of lengthy COVID and why.”

Dr. Strahm assessed rates of lengthy COVID signs in health care employees infected with the wild-kind SARS-CoV-2 virus, the omicron variant (BA.1) or both and when put next these to uninfected controls.

The prospective see alive to 1,201 health care employees (81% feminine) with median age of 43 from nine Swiss health care networks.

The participants, who were recruited between June and September 2020, underwent standard testing for COVID-19 (nasopharyngeal swabs and antibody assessments) and equipped files on their vaccination situation.

In March 2021 (Q1), September 2021 (Q2) and June 2022 (Q3) they done on-line questionnaires which asked which, if any, of 18 lengthy COVID signs they were experiencing. The most regularly reported signs incorporated loss of sense of scent/style, tiredness/weakness, burnout/exhaustion and hair loss.

The questionnaire also coated fatigue phases. The median time of apply-up for wild-kind infections modified into once 18 months.

In Q1, the menace of lengthy COVID signs modified into once 67% elevated in the 157 health care employees who’d had the wild-kind an infection (sure swab) than in the uninfected (no sure swab, seronegative) controls. In Q3, the menace of lengthy COVID signs were 37% elevated in the of us that’d had the wild-kind an infection than in the controls.

The same pattern modified into once observed for fatigue. In Q1, the menace of fatigue modified into once forty five% elevated in of us that had had the wild-kind virus than in the controls, however by Q3 the adaptation between the two groups modified into once no longer notable.

On the other hand, the 429 health care employees whose first sure take a look at for COVID-19 modified into once for the omicron variant were no in all probability to describe lengthy COVID signs than uninfected controls. Charges of fatigue were also comparable between the groups.

Dr. Strahm says, “We can handiest speculate as to why this modified into once. It is doubtlessly as a result of a combination of the omicron variant being much less in all probability to place off excessive illness than the wild-kind virus—all of us know that lengthy COVID is more standard after excessive illness—and immunity obtained via earlier exposure to the virus, via, as an instance, a sub-clinical an infection with out seroconversion.”

The prognosis also published that reinfection—an omicron an infection after a wild-kind an infection—didn’t elevate a elevated menace of lengthy COVID or fatigue than a wild-kind an infection alone. Similarly, vaccination did not have an effect on the menace of lengthy COVID or fatigue in of us that had omicron after the wild-kind virus.

Dr. Strahm concludes, “While lengthy COVID signs perceived to say no over time in health care employees who had a wild-kind an infection, they were nonetheless screen after 18 months. In distinction, health care employees whose first sure take a look at modified into once for omicron didn’t originate notable lengthy COVID signs. Neither omicron reinfections nor SARS-CoV-2 vaccination sooner than omicron an infection had any impact on lengthy COVID.”

He provides, “With omicron nonetheless dominant globally on the present time, our outcomes can rep to nonetheless present reassurance to of us that are contracting COVID-19 for the first time, as nicely as of us which rep already had the wild-kind virus.

“It is, on the opposite hand, notable to prove that the participants in our see were essentially wholesome, young, vaccinated ladies and the implications might well very nicely be a style of in a sicker, elderly and/or unvaccinated population.”

More files:
ECCMID 2023, abstract 00485: Evolution of signs nicely matched with put up-COVID condition after wild kind an infection and impact of Omicron BA.1 reinfection and SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations.

Supplied by
European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Illnesses