Earlier studies hinted that the risk of long Covid, where patients experience persistent symptoms after their initial Covid-19 infection has passed, may be linked to the variant they were infected with. To test this hypothesis, a new analysis placed the statistics under the spotlight.
The statistical bulletin, from the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), lays out the long Covid risk after initial infection with the Delta, Omicron BA.1, and Omicron BA.2 variants.
The analysis focused on individuals who had not previously had a Covid infection. The two researchers compared those who received two shots of a vaccine to those who received three shots. Long Covid was defined as symptoms four to eight weeks after initial Covid infection.