COVID-19 infection lasts for a month or more

A study recently published in the journal natureIt reveals that many SARS-CoV-2 infections in the general population become persistent, lasting for a month or more. This discovery sheds new light on the dynamics of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially regarding…Appearance ofAppearance of New variables and challenges posed by long Covid.

Characteristics of persistent infections

Until recently, the prevailing hypothesis attributed the origin of virus variants, such as alpha and… OmicronOmicronProlonged infections in people with weakened immunity. However, the extent and effects of persistent infection in the general population have remained poorly understood. This new study fills this gap by analyzing data from the UK's Office for National Statistics Covid Infection Survey (ONS-CIS), which included more than 90,000 participants and spanned from November 2020 to August 2022. Of this total, 3,603 people provided two positive tests. or more samples, allowing the virus to be sequenced. Of these, 381 cases were identified with persistent infections lasting a month or more, of which 54 cases lasted at least two months.

Researchers estimate that between 0.1% and 0.5% of all SARS-CoV-2 infections could become persistent and last 60 days or more. Surprisingly, some of these persistent infections have been due to variants of the virus that have since disappeared in the general population, highlighting the rarity of reinfection with the same variant, likely thanks to…immunityimmunity Developed by host.

Is there a link between persistent infection and symptoms of long Covid and its variants?

The study also examined the relationship between persistent infections and long Covid, revealing that people with persistent infections were 55% more likely to report illness. symptomssymptoms of those who had long Covid more than 12 weeks after their infection began, compared to those who had a shorter infection. This suggests a possible link between virus persistence and prolonged manifestations of COVID-19.

Researchers have observed a large number of mutations in some individuals, including those characterizing new variants and gene modification proteinprotein Virus spike. However, the majority of persistent infections did not have significant numbers of mutations, suggesting that not all persistent infections are necessarily sources of variants of concern.

This study highlights the importance of monitoring GenomicsGenomics Community to understand the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and its public health implications, particularly in relation to long Covid and the emergence of new variants. It provides key insights into prolonged viral dynamics and their potential effects on… PathologyPathology From long covid.