Grim new figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that 34 per cent of all existing long Covid patients developed their symptoms after catching Covid-19 during the Omicron era. Leading testing expert, Dr. Quinton Fivelman Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at London Medical Laboratory, says, “UK Covid cases and hospital admissions continue to fall, but these latest ONS long Covid figures are a wakeup call. The dangers of the virus, even in its purportedly less severe Omicron form, remain significant. Looking at these figures, though 45 per cent of long Covid patients developed their symptoms at least one year previously, a worrying 253,000 reported they first caught Covid-19 less than 12 weeks previously. However, they have already developed long Covid symptoms significantly impacting their health and lives.”
He added, “To put the numbers into focus, 29 per cent of long Covid sufferers reported they first had Covid before the first wave of Alpha became the main variant; 256,000 during the Alpha period, 386,000 during the Delta period and a significant 681,000 during the Omicron period. Anyone thinking that Omicron variants are less likely to result in long Covid than previous Covid strains must think again.”
Dr Fivelman said, “The latest figures also reveal that you are more likely to develop long Covid if you are aged 35 to 69 years, a female and/or live in a more deprived area. Covid may remain active in our bodies, in areas such as the gut, for extended periods of time, potentially causing a long-term, low-grade infection. This could well be the cause for long Covid. For this reason, at the beginning of June, London Medical Laboratory called for the Government to urgently consider vaccinating everyone over 50 this autumn. We are delighted it agreed to do this.”
