Receiving a Covid-19 vaccination in 2021.DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES
When the Covid-19 vaccine rolled out, many hoped it would be the silver bullet against the pandemic. Now, a large new study confirms that getting vaccinated can significantly reduce the risk of developing long Covid, even as new variants like Delta and Omicron emerge.
Study Highlights the Impact of Vaccination
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, this study analyzed the health records of over 440,000 Veterans Affairs patients infected with Covid-19 and compared them to more than 4 million uninfected individuals. The findings? Vaccinated people were nearly twice as likely to avoid long Covid during the Omicron wave compared to their unvaccinated counterparts.
The Numbers Speak for Themselves
During the early pandemic, before vaccines were available, 10.42 out of 100 unvaccinated people developed long Covid. Fast forward to the Delta variant era, and this number dropped slightly to 9.51 per 100 unvaccinated individuals. Among those vaccinated, only 5.34 out of 100 contracted long Covid. With the Omicron variant, the gap widened further: 7.76 out of 100 unvaccinated people versus just 3.5 out of 100 vaccinated individuals developed long Covid.
Understanding Long Covid
Long Covid, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), includes a range of lingering symptoms such as fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, and musculoskeletal problems. This study reveals that while vaccination doesn’t completely eliminate the risk of long Covid, it significantly reduces it.
Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research at the VA St. Louis Health Care System and a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, emphasizes the importance of these findings. “Vaccines very clearly work, but they don’t totally wipe it out. Long Covid has declined, but it’s not something we can ignore.”
Evolving Symptoms and Better Treatments
The study, covering March 2020 through January 2022, also shows how long Covid symptoms have evolved with different variants. Initially, fatigue was a predominant symptom, but more recent data points to gastrointestinal and metabolic issues becoming more common among unvaccinated individuals.
Dr. Michael Peluso from the University of California, San Francisco, notes this shift. “We’re seeing more GI and musculoskeletal symptoms in our long Covid assessments. This aligns with the study’s findings and will inform our clinical approach.”
The Role of Vaccination in Reducing Long Covid
Using a statistical method called decomposition analysis, the study authors determined that 72% of the reduction in long Covid incidence among vaccinated people was directly due to vaccination, while 28% was attributed to changes in the virus variants and improved medical care.
Dr. Hilary Goldberg, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, finds this data crucial. “This study validates the protective role of vaccination against long Covid, a question that has been somewhat unsettled.”
Future Research and Ongoing Concerns
Despite the positive findings, Dr. Al-Aly calls for more research. “We need to understand how vaccines alter the immune response and how that impacts the development of PASC.”
Dr. Jai Marathe from Boston University echoes this sentiment. “From a research perspective, understanding the pathogenesis of PASC is critical. If vaccination changes the immune response, we need to study this further.”
The Need for Continued Vigilance
Even with declining long Covid cases, the risk remains significant. Dr. Peluso stresses, “Despite the decrease, we will still see many cases of long Covid as SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread. More investment in clinical care and research is needed to meet the clinical demand.”
Dr. Marathe adds, “With declining vaccine uptake due to Covid burnout, it’s crucial to educate and counsel patients to increase vaccine acceptance. Living with PASC can be debilitating, and vaccination is a key preventive measure.”
Conclusion
This landmark study underscores the critical role of Covid-19 vaccination in reducing the risk of long Covid. While it doesn’t completely eliminate the risk, vaccination significantly lowers it, providing a compelling reason for people to stay up-to-date with their Covid-19 vaccinations. As Dr. Peluso succinctly puts it, “Being vaccinated is still the best thing someone can do to protect themselves from long Covid.”
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