The symptoms are the same, but less severe

In order to understand whether Omicron has a similar influence on Long Covid, the question
was raised of whether there are differences between the symptoms of serious illnesses caused by
Omicron compared to those caused by other variants, such as the Delta variant.

This question was answered by a study called Zoe Covid Study, which compared reports from the period when the Delta variant had been dominant against the current period of the proliferation of the Omicron variant. This study found that both variants have five similar dominant symptoms: headache, runny nose, sore throat, sneezing and fatigue. It is interesting to see that the loss of the senses of taste and smell have become far less common. At the beginning of 2021, these were among the top ten symptoms, while now they are ranked in 17th place.

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Although both variants have the same symptoms, studies show that the morbidity caused by the Omicron variant is much milder.‍

In a December 2021 study, researchers compared the effects of Omicron to several earlier variants. They found that people who contracted Omicron suffered less injury to their lungs, did not lose as much weight and were at lower risk of mortality. The researchers believe that the reason for the relatively mild symptoms of the Omicron strain compared to other variants is apparently anatomical – they found that the levels of Omicron found in the lungs were one tenth or less of the level of other strains.

Does the likelihood of Long Covid depend on the severity of the morbidity?‍

Long Covid or Post-Covid, is a wide variety of new recurring or persistent health problems that develop in the weeks and months after recovery from the coronavirus.
Some of the health problems tend to develop only among people who have a pre-existing serious disease, while other symptoms may develop in any person who caught Covid, also in milder form. It is important to keep in mind that people who caught Covid and had no symptoms at all may suffer from Long Covid. Some of the prevalent symptoms of Long Covid are: difficulties breathing, changes in the menstrual cycle, fatigue, weakness after exertion (physical or mental), cough, chest pain, headache, muscle or joint pain, sleep disorders, dizziness, skin rash, mood changes, changes in the senses of taste and smell and more.

Despite everything – we can expect more cases of Long Covid in the wake of Omicron‍

Because the Omicron variant appeared only in November 2021, not enough time has elapsed to be able to discern symptoms of Long Covid as a consequence of this strain. As stated, studies performed to date in this regard found that the severity of the morbidity is not necessarily a factor for Long Covid. In other words, a patient who was hospitalized and a patient who suffered only mild symptoms can both experience Long Covid. Actually, one study found that a rise in CCL1 – a substance which, if detected at high levels in the brain, causes cognitive deficiencies – was found at similarly high levels in the brains of Long Covid patients who suffered from serious and mild Covid alike. This means that cellular deficiencies that may lead to persistent neurological symptoms could also appear even after mild Covid infection. However, what is known today is that the Omicron strain is far more contagious than the original Coronavirus strain. Compared to the Delta strain, experts believe Omicron can infect three to six times more people.

In conclusion, from what can be ascertained to date, Long Covid can appear regardless of the Coronavirus strain and regardless of the severity of the morbidity and, since the number of cases in Israel and abroad is so high, this does not bode well. However, it is still too early to say with certainty what the implications are for the volume of cases of Long Covid. Either way, if you take care of yourself now, you'll reduce the chances of suffering from Long Covid in the future.

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