Long Covid: 4% of triple vaccinated adults will experience long Covid, new data reveals

Covid can cause symptoms that last weeks or months after the infection has gone, which is known as long Covid
Helen Johnson
By Helen Johnson
18th Jul 2022, 12:10pm
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Approximately 4% of adults who are triple vaccinated against Covid will experience long Covid, new data has revealed.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), of triple-vaccinated adults, 4.5%, 4.2% and 5.0% self-reported having long Covid 12 to 16 weeks after a first laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 infection with Omicron BA.1, Omicron BA.2 or Delta variants respectively.

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However, for adults that had only received two Covid jabs, although 4% also self-reported long Covid 12 to 16 weeks after a first infection with the Omicron BA.1 variant, this rose to 9.2% for those infected with the Delta variant.

The odds of reporting long Covid were 48.2% lower for first Covid-19 infections with the Omicron BA.1 variant than those compatible with the Delta variant among adults who were double vaccinated when infected. These results are based on data to 27 May 2022.

Covid can cause symptoms that last weeks or months after the infection has gone, which is known as long Covid Covid can cause symptoms that last weeks or months after the infection has gone, which is known as long Covid
Covid can cause symptoms that last weeks or months after the infection has gone, which is known as long Covid

Similar patterns were also observed for self-reported long Covid that limited daily activities, but at lower levels of prevalence.

ONS data showed that among triple-vaccinated adults, prevalence of activity-limiting, self-reported long Covid 12 to 16 weeks after a first laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 infection was 3.2%, 3.5% and 4.1% for infections with the Omicron BA.1, Omicron BA.2 or Delta variants respectively.

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For double-vaccinated adults, prevalence was 2.7% and 5.5% for infections with the Omicron BA.1 or Delta variants respectively.

ONS statistician Daniel Ayoubkhani said: "Today’s findings show that approximately 4% of adults who are triple vaccinated against Covid-19 will report experiencing long Covid 12 weeks after being infected for the first time with the Omicron BA.1 or BA.2 variants. This represents a similar risk to the Delta variant.

“However, these findings may not apply to people who have previously had Covid-19 and have been reinfected with the Omicron variant, and we cannot say what the implications are for any future variants in terms of long Covid risk."

Related topics:Long CovidOffice for National Statistics

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