Vaccinations may reduce the risk of long COVID symptoms

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-01-19 03:00

International

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

Being unvaccinated before catching COVID has been linked to a higher risk of still having symptoms 28 or more days after COVID-19 infection, according to US research. The study looked at almost 2000 people, 77% of whom were unvaccinated at the time of their infection and found higher rates of long terms symptoms in people who had more severe symptoms and in those who were unvaccinated. The study also found that people who caught COVID-19 were more likely to seek medical care for diabetes, lung issues, neurological issues, and mental health-related illness for at least 6 months after their infection compared with their pre-COVID use of healthcare.

Media release

From: JAMA

COVID-19 Symptoms 6 Months After Onset, Role of Vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 Infection

JAMA Network Open
Original Investigation

Persistent COVID-19 Symptoms at 6 Months After Onset and the Role of Vaccination Before or After SARS-CoV-2 Infection

About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is an online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.

About The Study: In this study of 1,832 U.S. adults, the risk of reporting symptoms for 28 or more days after COVID-19 onset was significantly higher in participants who were unvaccinated at the time of infection and those who reported moderate or severe acute illness symptoms. At six months after onset, participants had significantly higher risk of pulmonary, diabetes, neurological, and mental health encounters versus pre-infection baseline.

Authors: Stephanie A. Richard, Ph.D., of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, is the corresponding author.

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.51360)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

# # #

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research JAMA, Web page Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends).

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, USA

Funder: This work was supported by award HU00012020067 from the Defense Health Program and HU00011920111 from the NIAID, NIH and by the NIAID, NIH under interagency agreement Y1-AI-5072.

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.