The number of people who say they have had Covid for a long time in the UK has fallen for the first time in a year, in light of the rise of the milder Omicron tribes.
Three percent of the population had symptoms at least four weeks after the infection cleared up in June, the equivalent of 1.93 million. This was lower than May’s 3.1 percent, or 1.95 million.
The Bureau of National Statistics (U.S) also estimated that the number of people with symptoms fell for the first time for at least a year — from 826,000 to 807,000.
Previous research suggested that Omicron was half as likely to cause long Covid as the Delta strain.
Omicron is also much less likely to lead to hospitalization or death during the initial infection.
The fear of Covid and its lingering side effects came to fruition after the first waves of the pandemic.
Some experts warned the condition would cripple the economy and spark a mini-epidemic of its own. The NHS set up 69 specialist long-term Covid clinics in December 2020, costing £10 million.
The Office for National Statistics found that three per cent of the UK population reported long-term Covid symptoms more than four weeks after the infection cleared up in June, the equivalent of 1.93 million
Covid infections have risen to just over 1.8 million in England according to the latest data from the Office of National Statistics
This chart shows the number of deaths directly caused by Covid in England and Wales. The number of deaths recorded in these countries is currently well below that of previous waves earlier year and a fraction of the number seen at the start of 2021
Britain recorded 1911 virus recordings on Monday, a 331 percent increase from the 443 recorded on June 4.
Data from the Sanger Institute shows that BA.5 was responsible for 58.6 percent of all infections it did in the week to June 25 — a fifth more than a week earlier, when it caused 48.8 percent of cases
The ONS estimates are based on a survey of around 248,000 people in the UK, and their answers were not necessarily confirmed by a diagnosis.
The number of people with long-term Covid reached its highest level in May, after the BA.2 wave.
Experts have previously expressed doubts about the ONS’ lengthy Covid findings, with some saying they are likely an overestimation, as symptoms such as headaches and fatigue can be linked to a variety of conditions.
The ONS findings suggest that a third of current long-term Covid cases resulted from infections during the Omicron wave earlier this year.
Just over a fifth still have Covid long after being first infected during the Delta wave last summer, while 12 percent first contracted the virus when Alpha was most prevalent in early 2021.
Fatigue remained the most common symptom reported by people with long-term Covid, with 56 percent saying they had it, according to the ONS.
It was followed by shortness of breath (31 percent), loss of smell (22 percent) and muscle pain (21 percent).
The prevalence was highest in people aged 35 to 69, women and people working in social care, health care and education.
Long Covid is defined as persistent symptoms of the virus for more than a month after infection.
It is a poorly understood condition with patients normally reporting extreme fatigue, difficulty breathing, loss of smell, and difficulty concentrating.
But it has been linked to a range of other symptoms such as joint pain, nausea, insomnia and depression.
Britain is currently in the midst of a fifth wave of the virus, caused by the BA.5 and BA.4 Omicron subvariants, although the former is expected to become dominant.
Separate data from the ONS suggest the number of infections in England has risen to 1.8 million.
BA.5, which is also gaining momentum in the US and across Europe, is considered one-third more transmissible than its ancestor, just as contagious as measles.
However, government advisers believe it is just as mild, meaning it could also cause shorter Covid cases.
The number of recorded deaths in England and Wales is currently well below previous waves last year and a fraction of the number seen in early 2021.
Britain registered 1,911 virus recordings on Monday, a 331 percent increase from the 443 recorded on June 4.
However, official figures show that only 37.5 percent of patients in hospital are admitted primarily because they are unwell with the virus.