Vaccination against Sars-Cov-2 significantly reduces the risk of developing long Covid, the long-term syndrome of symptoms after infection with the coronavirus. The conclusion is from a study that analyzed data from more than 440,000 patients.
The scientists used information from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a federal agency that provides health services to U.S. military veterans. By analyzing data from people who became infected in the first two years of the pandemic, the team found that the risk of developing long Covid was significantly lower in those who had been vaccinated before infection.
In addition to patients who contracted the virus during that period, the study also included data from four million people who did not have Covid for comparison purposes. The results were published in the scientific journal New England Journal of Medicine.
Long Covid is a condition in which some people continue to experience various symptoms after being infected with the virus, which can last for long periods, such as months or even years. Its origin is not yet fully understood by science and the main symptoms include body aches, fatigue, memory loss and mental confusion.
Based on previous research, scientists and doctors have already suggested that the risk of long Covid was lower in people who were vaccinated, but the new study provides the strongest evidence yet of this relationship.
In general, long COVID is more common in people who have had more severe cases, with more severe symptoms, and vaccination helps prevent the disease from progressing.
The research analyzed data from three different periods, taking into account the virus variants that were circulating at the time. In the Delta variant era, at the start of the pandemic, 10.4 out of every 100 people developed long Covid; there were no vaccines yet available.
In the Delta variant era, 9.5 unvaccinated people out of every 100 had long Covid; among those vaccinated, the rate was 5.3 per 100. With Omicron, the difference was even greater: 7.7 among those who were not vaccinated. Reverse 3.5.
The study therefore concludes that vaccination reduces the chances of developing the syndrome, but it is not a guarantee. The article also concludes that the incidence of long Covid has declined over time, even among unvaccinated people.
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