Study: Omicron’s Long Covid Risks Lesser Than Delta

NPR: Study Finds Omicron Poses Less Risk Than Delta For Long COVID
The omicron variant is much less likely than delta to cause long COVID, according to the first large-scale study published about the long-term risks posed by omicron. But almost 5% of people who catch omicron still experience fatigue, brain fog, headaches, heart problems or other health issues at least a month after getting infected, the study found. While some researchers found the results reassuring, others say the findings are alarming, given that so many people caught omicron and apparently remain at risk even if they're vaccinated. (Stein, 6/16)

NBC News: Long Covid Symptoms Less Likely To Occur After Omicron Infection, Study Suggests
The new research, which was published Thursday in The Lancet, is an observational analysis of people who signed up for a smartphone app-led project called the ZOE Covid Study. Users regularly report any Covid symptoms, vaccination status and other demographic information. Since the app's launch in March 2020, approximately 4.7 million people, most of whom reside in the U.K., have signed on. (Edwards, 6/16)

In other news about the spread of covid —

Fox News: Covid Outbreak In Illinois Veterans Home Sparks Concern
A COVID-19 outbreak at a state-run veterans home in northeastern Illinois has spread to 22 residents and staff members, a state agency said. The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs said Wednesday that 16 residents and six staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Illinois Veterans’ Home at Manteno, about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) south of Chicago, and the majority of the residents have shown no symptoms. However, a "small number" of residents are showing mild symptoms, the department said. (6/16)

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah’s COVID-19 Death Toll Rises Above 4,800
Thirteen more Utahns died of COVID-19 in the past week, bringing the state’s total death toll since the pandemic began to 4,806, according to the Utah Department of Health. Ten of the deaths in the past week were people ages 65 and over, and three were 85 or older. Another 6,522 cases of the coronavirus were also reported, just nine fewer the previous week. The number of hospitalizations and the percentage of positive tests both rose slightly. This week’s COVID-19 report comes in the midst of a coronavirus surge that is expected to continue for several more weeks. Experts say omicron subvariants are driving it. (Pierce, 6/16)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Increasing In Southern Nevada
COVID-19 hospitalizations continued to rise this week, underscoring Friday’s announcement that Clark County is experiencing a high community level of the disease. The number of patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 in the county increased to 351 from last week’s 276, according to data released Wednesday by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. Statewide, there were 410 hospitalizations. (Hynes, 6/15)

Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Reports 35% Increase In COVID-19 Hospitalizations From Last Week
The number of people sick enough to be hospitalized with COVID-19 in Alaska rose by more than 35% this week compared to last as reported cases decreased slightly. Here are a few main takeaways from the latest data available from the state Department of Health and Social Services: • By Wednesday, there were 61 COVID-positive patients hospitalized around Alaska, a significant increase from the 45 reported by the state a week earlier. Just under 5% of Alaska’s hospital patients were COVID-positive. Current hospital counts are still well below all-time peaks, but on the rise. (6/15)

Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Hinds County Reports 679 New COVID Cases; Mississippi Cases Surge 23.3%
New coronavirus cases leaped in Mississippi in the week ending Sunday, rising 23.3% as 4,495 cases were reported. The previous week had 3,646 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19. Mississippi ranked 40th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 0.9% from the week before, with 753,773 cases reported. With 0.89% of the country's population, Mississippi had 0.6% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 31 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before. (Stucka, 6/16)

Also —

AP: COVID-19 Testing Provider Closing Its Public Sites In Alaska 
One of Alaska’s largest private COVID-19 testing providers plans to close its public testing sites in the state by the end of June. The decision by Capstone Clinic is mainly driven by financial considerations, Matt Jones, Capstone’s director of non-clinical operations, told the Anchorage Daily News. (6/16)

The CT Mirror: Still Stuck At Home During COVID: One Person's Story
Despite the persistence of highly contagious strains of COVID-19 in Connecticut and elsewhere, restrictions designed to curb the spread of the virus are more relaxed than ever. And while many are resuming travel, dining indoors or attending large gatherings, some who are immune-compromised or care for an immune-suppressed loved one face a very different “new normal,” one in which they feel left behind. For some who live with or care for people who are immunocompromised, or who themselves are immune-suppressed, the “new normal” is anything but. (Kim and Carlesso, 6/16)