Study Suggests Long COVID Is Less Likely to Occur in Those Who Have Recently Been Vaccinated

A new study has found that “the risk of developing long COVID is significantly lower when people have been recently vaccinated before infection.”

The study followed participants diagnosed with COVID-19 between August 2020 and December 2022. 84,464 participants were monitored 3, 5, and 8 months after infection. The participants were assigned to groups based on how recently they had been vaccinated against COVID-19 – distant, intermediate, or recent vaccination. Incidences of 36 different post-COVID-19 conditions were tracked.

9,642 participants (11.4%) “developed post-COVID-19 conditions over 8 months.” The distant vaccination group “had a higher risk for most of the 36 long-COVID symptoms compared to the most recent group, especially for respiratory conditions and heart conditions.”

This pattern was also seen in the “most common physical symptoms of long COVID,” including fatigue and pain.

Overall, “the risk of developing 28 out of 36 long-COVID symptoms lessened when vaccines were effective, or up to 5 months after the last dose, the authors said.”