Experts have warned that one telltale sign of long Covid may prove to be permanent. The Express reports Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, saying that Omicron BA 5 "substantially evades neutralising antibodies induced in people by vaccination and infection".
More than three million Britons are thought to have symptomatic Covid, and the wider pool of infection means cases of long Covid are increasing, despite evidence suggesting the latest strain is less likely to cause long Covid. "Symptoms of long Covid can persist for over a year and potentially be permanent," warns the BMJ.
According to the health body, one common red flag of long Covid, which is inevitably becoming more prevalent as Omicron drives up cases, is fatigue. This is a persistent feeling of tiredness and, unlike general tiredness, "it's more profound and isn't relieved by rest", notes the Mayo Clinic.
Another way of putting it, if you wake up in the morning exhausted, despite having a good night's sleep, you may have Covid-induced fatigue. Other signs of long Covid include cognitive symptoms such as difficulty concentrating and impaired memory, and sensory changes like permanent loss of smell or taste.
In June the Office for National Statistics estimated that the number of people experiencing long Covid increased from 1.3 million in January 2022 to two million by May 2022.
Lead researcher Claire Steves said: “The Omicron variant appears substantially less likely to cause long Covid than previous variants - but still, one out of every 23 people who catches Covid-19 goes on to have symptoms for more than four weeks. Given the numbers of people affected, it’s important that we continue to support them at work, at home and within the NHS.”
There were also insufficient data to estimate the odds of long Covid in unvaccinated people, and the study did not estimate effects in children. Research into treatments for long Covid are ongoing but there are things you can do in meantime.
You should contact a GP if you're worried about symptoms four weeks or more after you had Covid-19 or thought you may have had it, says the NHS. According to the health body, your doctor will ask about your symptoms and the impact they are having on your life.
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