There is still so much to grapple with when it comes to COVID-19 and the workplace. That’s why we have partnered with MedHealth and IPAR to bring you ‘bite size’ summaries of some of the most pertinent research in the medical industry, and in particular what the experts are saying about COVID-19 and its ongoing impact in, and on, the workplaces of Australia.
We have also combined our expertise with MedHealth and IPAR to provide a range of solutions to help you support individuals with Long COVID or complex biopsychosocial and psychological needs as a result of the pandemic. Find out more about our COVID Supports here.
Read the individual articles from our latest newsletter below, or view the full sixth edition of the COVID Matters newsletter here.
Articles from Issue 05
Long COVID risk falls only slightly after vaccination
Long COVID is difficult to define and diagnose as a result of the wide variety of potential symptoms, which also makes it challenging to study from a research perspective. It seems that previous estimations of Long COVID prevalence may have been inflated, with a very large study recently finding:
7% of 4.5 million people treated for COVID went on to present with Long COVID symptoms
This is in contrast to previously reported rates of up to 30% of those who have been infected by COVID.
Post-acute COVID-19 cognitive impairment and decline
- Clinically relevant mild-moderate cognitive impairment impacts up to 25% of patients at post acute COVID stages, and the prevalence of the cognitive impairment increased slightly over time.
- Individuals showing evidence of mild cognitive impairment initially showed greater cognitive decline post-acute COVID than cognitively normal patients.
- Kynurenine pathway (KP) activation was confirmed as a potential biomarker for COVID-related cognitive decline and a therapeutic target.
Risk of Long COVID associated with Delta vs Omicron
- Omicron appears to cause less severe acute illness than previous variants, at least in vaccinated populations
- However, the potential for large numbers of people to experience long-term symptoms is a major concern
- Omicron COVID cases were less likely to experience Long COVID than Delta cases (for all vaccine timings)
- Overall, the study found a reduction in odds of Long COVID with the Omicron variant versus the Delta variant of 0·24–0·50 depending on age and time since vaccination
Post-COVID conditions among adult COVID-19 survivors
Aged 18-64 and 65+ years
One in five COVID-19 survivors aged 18 to 64 years and one in four aged over 65 years experienced at least one incident ‘condition’ that might be attributable to COVID-19 infection.