What variant could give you long-term COVID symptoms?

BOSTON – Dr. Mallika Marshall is answering your medical questions. If you have a question, email her or message her on Facebook or Twitter.  

Dr. Mallika is offering her best advice, but as always, consult your personal doctor before making any decisions about your personal health.  

Debbie writes, "Will any COVID variant give you long-term COVID symptoms?"

Any COVID variant can cause long COVID symptoms but so far, we're seeing less long COVID with the Omicron variant and subvariants than with previous variants, like Delta.  

It's not clear why, but may be due to the effectiveness of the vaccines and boosters, previous infections, or mutations making these newer variants less virulent.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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