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- BBC News World
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Being fully vaccinated against the disease that SARS-CoV-2 produces not only reduces the risk of becoming infected with the virus, but also that an infection becomes a long-lasting COVID-19.
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This is shown by research conducted by King’s College London.
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The study indicates that of those who contract COVID-19 despite having two doses of vaccines – a minority – the chances of developing symptoms that last more than four weeks are reduced by 50%.
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This compared to people who are not vaccinated.
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“We found that the odds of having symptoms for 28 days or more after infection that followed vaccination were reduced by about half with two doses of the vaccine “, says the study published in the specialized journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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“This result suggests that the risk of long-term covid is reduced in people who have received two doses of the vaccine, and the reduced risk of infection that has already been documented should be considered,” he adds.
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Short and long lasting
Many people who get the disease recover in four weeks.
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But some have symptoms that continue or develop for several weeks or months after the initial infection, known as long-term covid.
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The disorder can occur even after people experience mild symptoms of coronavirus infection.
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Researchers say it is clear that vaccines are saving lives and preventing serious disease.
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But so far the impact of vaccines on the development of long-term disease it had not been possible to establish with certainty.
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In the UK so far 78.9% of those over 16 have received two doses of the covid vaccine.
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The researchers analyzed data collected in the King’s College study, called Zoe Covid, which Tracks symptoms, vaccinations and tests through an app people in the UK.
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This meant that between December 2020 and July, the health of more than 1.2 million adults who received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 971,504 who received two doses in that time period were tracked.
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- Only 0.2% of people with two doses said they had had a covid infection after vaccination (2,370 cases).
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- Of the 592 fully vaccinated people who continued to provide data for more than a month, 31 (5%) showed long-lasting covid symptoms (defined as an illness lasting 28 days or more after a positive test).
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- In the unvaccinated group, this figure was approximately 11%.
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The researchers found that some people were at higher risk of so-called post-vaccination infections (contracting COVID after a vaccine) than others, including frail older adults and people living in disadvantaged areas.
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This was particularly the case for people who had only received one dose of the vaccine.
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Lead researcher Dr. Claire Steves says that those most at risk should be prioritized for booster shots.
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“In terms of the long-lasting COVID burden, it is good news that our research has found that having two doses of vaccine significantly reduces the risk of contracting the virus and, if it does, develop long-lasting symptoms “, says the researcher.
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“However, among frail older adults and those living in disadvantaged areas, the risk remains significant and they must be urgently prioritized for the second dose and the booster shot,” he adds.
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For his part, Professor Tim Spector, who leads the Zoe Covid study at King’s College, explains that vaccines are reducing the chances of contracting long-term covid in two ways.
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“First, reduce the risk of any symptoms by eight to 10 times and then they cut the chances of any infection turning into a long-lasting covid in half, if it does occur. “
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“Regardless of the duration of the symptoms, we see that the infections after two vaccines are also much milder, so the immunizations are really changing the disease positively,” adds the researcher.
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British authorities indicate that only in England are vaccines have saved more than 105,000 lives and have prevented more than 24 million covid infections.
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“It is clear that vaccines are building a wall of defense against the virus and are the best way to protect people from serious diseases,” said British Health Minister Sajid Javid.
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