Coronavirus symptoms: Can you get long COVID after getting an Omicron infection?

Even though COVID-19 is an infection of the respiratory system, the contagious coronavirus can affect several organs at a time. In most cases of COVID-19, the symptoms disappear in 15 days. Only those suffering from severe infection have to deal with the nasty symptoms for months, which is often referred to as long COVID.

Long COVID was seen commonly during the Delta wave. As the infection was highly threatening, it led to severe symptoms and the virus variant was more fatal than the ancestral strains of coronavirus. Compared to Delta, the Omicron variant is less deadly. However, an important question that still needs to be addressed is can infection from Omicron variant lead to long COVID as it was the case with the previous variant.

As compared to the previous variant of coronavirus, Omicron is less dangerous. Data collected from across the globe during the peak time of the Omicron infection suggests that symptoms of this mutant variant are similar to that of common cold. In reality, the virus does not even lead to severe respiratory problems. In some cases of Omicron infection, patients only witnessed stomach issues or mild cold-like symptoms. However, Omicron is much more contagious than previous variants of the coronavirus.

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After one is infected with coronavirus, the symptoms decline within 15 days. But if the person develops a severe infection or is hospitalized, he/she may have to deal with the symptoms of the virus for a little longer.

Any signs of coronavirus infection that appear about 90 days after the disappearance of the initial infection are referred to as long COVID. This condition is usually diagnosed weeks after a bout with COVID-19. Its symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, anxiety and other problems. The signs of long COVID usually go away with time. But in many cases, the patient may require hospitalization.

Omicron generally causes milder symptoms as compared to Delta or any other COVID variant. Still, it has overwhelmed hospitals. Some people are developing severe symptoms and many have even lost their lives after being infected with the Omicron variant. Although there are no reports on whether Omicron can lead to long COVID symptoms, it cannot be denied that there are chances for it to happen. Omicron is one of the mutant variants of the coronavirus that has claimed millions of lives in the last two years. So, it has the potential to cause grave damage and long symptoms. The symptoms can be mild and difficult to recognise, but lingering symptoms after an Omicron infection is fairly possible. It may require some more time to clearly identify long COVID symptoms after Omicron infection.

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Until the time it is not clear how Omicron can hamper your daily life in the long run, it is best to take extra care of yourself after getting infected with the virus. Eat well, sleep on time, exercise regularly, take your medicines on time and take less stress for a speedy recovery. COVID-19 infection is hard on our body and it takes time to build immunity after being infected with it. If you take care of yourself well the chances of suffering from long COVID would be minimal.