New Study Suggests Vaccines Protect against Long COVID

As we enter the third year of the pandemic, we are still learning about the long-term effects of Covid-19 disease. Long Covid has emerged as a debilitating and complex health problem that scientists and doctors are still trying to understand. 

Different studies have reported that between 30-60% of Covid-19 survivors experience at least one long-term symptom of the disease. As of January 27, the number of confirmed infections surpassed 360 million, this means that as many as 180 million people suffered or are suffering from long Covid.

The most common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, joint and chest pain, headache, depression, and others. People with long Covid struggle with these conditions for weeks, months, and even years. Furthermore, the effects of long Covid are severe enough that they impact everyday functioning. 

Although pre-existing conditions like hypertension, obesity, and psychiatric disorders are associated with an increased risk of developing long Covid, every infected individual is at risk of developing the disease. Scientists are still trying to understand how long Covid develops. Two new studies offer some insight by revealing the amount of virus circulating in the body, as well as the presence of certain antibodies that accidentally attack healthy tissues contributing to the development of long Covid. 

Vaccines offer protection against long Covid by preventing infection in the first place. However, a new study out of Israel offers further evidence that even in breakthrough cases, vaccines offer protection against long Covid.

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Vaccines Versus Long Covid

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists ten vaccines for emergency use under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) including the Pfizer/BioNTech, Jonson & Johnson, and Moderna vaccines. These vaccines reduce the risk of contracting the virus and protect against severe disease and hospitalization. 

Highlighting the importance of vaccines, a new study from Bar-Ilan University in Safed, Israel showed fully vaccinated individuals are less likely to report any long Covid symptoms. 

The study enrolled over 3,000 people who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 between March 2020 and November 2021. The researchers then compared the prevalence of different symptoms in unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals. 

Overall, people that received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine were 36-73% less likely to report symptoms of long Covid. Vaccinated people were 54% less likely to report headaches, 64% less likely to report fatigue, and 68% less likely to report muscle pain than were their unvaccinated counterparts. 

Strikingly, vaccinated individuals and people who’d never caught SARS-CoV-2 reported symptoms at similar rates. Although this study has not been peer-reviewed, it offers an important rationale to continue with vaccination efforts. 

This study supports the results of a previous study from the UK. However, it is crucial to remember that even fully vaccinated people are still at risk of developing long Covid, and whether the vaccines are less effective at preventing the long-term effects of newer strains such as Omicron is unclear. 

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Author

Daniel Ojeda