Repeated coronavirus infections increase the likelihood of developing long Covid, a World Health Organisation (WHO) special envoy has warned. Dr David Nabarro told Sky News that the more times someone contracts the virus, the greater their chance of suffering lasting symptoms.
“The more times you get it, the more likely you are to be unlucky and end up with long Covid — which is the thing that none of us want because it can be so serious,” Nabarro said. He added that the condition can “knock people off their stride for several months.”
The NHS describes long Covid as symptoms persisting after the initial infection has cleared. Common symptoms include persistent cough, fever, headaches, muscle aches, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath, fatigue, and gastrointestinal issues. Patients have also reported brain fog, memory loss, and depression.
Nabarro’s comments come as hospital admissions for Covid-19 in England rise. NHS figures show 7,822 patients with Covid-19 on June 27, a 37% increase from the previous week. Professor Tim Spector of the ZOE app stated, “We’re in a wave at the moment, heading towards a quarter of a million cases a day.”
Scientists attribute the surge to new Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which are more adept at evading immunity. The UK now has 1.7 million positive cases, a 23% weekly rise.
