New Research: 10 Percent of Omicron Patients in the U.S. Suffer from Chronic COVID

A new study conducted on nearly 10,000 Americans shows that about 10 percent of them suffer from chronic COVID after contracting COVID-19 with the Omicron variant, which is a lower percentage than previously estimated. According to the Associated Press, initial findings from the National Institutes of Health indicate that 'chronic COVID' includes dozens of health issues—sometimes debilitating—that can manifest even after mild COVID-19 infections and can last for months or even years. Millions worldwide have been affected by chronic COVID, with a wide range of symptoms including fatigue and brain fog. Scientists still do not know what causes it, why only some individuals are affected, how to treat it, or even how to best diagnose it. A better description of this chronic illness is crucial for research and finding answers to these questions. Previous studies have shown that the risk of developing chronic COVID has decreased since the emergence of the Omicron variant, which continues to spread in its subsequent generations. The big question is how to identify and assist those suffering from chronic COVID. The new study identified twelve symptoms that may help define chronic COVID: fatigue, brain fog, confusion, gastrointestinal issues, palpitations, sexual problems, loss of smell or taste, thirst, persistent cough, chest pain, worsening symptoms after activity, and unusual movements. Dr. Laura Horwitz from the Langone Health Center at New York University School of Medicine and one of the study's authors emphasized that doctors should not use this list to diagnose chronic COVID, as it is merely a potential research tool. The results of this research were published on Thursday, May 25, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 'JAMA.'