COVID-19 Vaccination Before Infection Cuts Risk for Long COVID

MONDAY, Nov. 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- COVID-19 vaccination before infection is associated with a reduced risk for post-COVID-19-condition (PCC), according to a study published online Nov. 22 in The BMJ.

Lisa Lundberg-Morris, from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, and colleagues conducted a population-based cohort study to examine the effectiveness of primary COVID-19 vaccination (first two doses and first booster dose) against PCC. Data were included for all 589,722 adults with COVID-19 first registered between Dec. 27, 2020, and Feb. 9, 2022, in the two largest regions of Sweden.

Of the vaccinated individuals, 21,111; 205,650; and 72,931 received one two, and three or more doses, respectively. The researchers found that 0.4 percent of 299,692 vaccinated individuals with COVID-19 had a diagnosis of PCC during follow-up compared with 1.4 percent of 290,030 unvaccinated individuals. There was an association between COVID-19 vaccination with any number of doses before infection and a reduced risk for PCC (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.42), with vaccine effectiveness of 58 percent. Vaccine effectiveness was 21, 59, and 73 percent with one, two, and three or more doses, respectively.

"The results from this study highlight the importance of complete primary vaccination coverage against COVID-19, not only to reduce the risk of severe acute COVID-19 infection but also the burden of PCC in the population," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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