Association between vaccination status and reported incidence of post-acute COVID-19 symptoms in Israel: a cross-sectional study of patients tested between March 2020 and November 2021

Abstract

Background: Long COVID is a post-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection syndrome characterised by not recovering for several weeks or months following the acute episode. The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against long-term symptoms of COVID19 is not well understood. We determined whether vaccination was associated with reporting long-term symptoms post-SARS-CoV-2 infection by comparing, among individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, those who were vaccinated to those who were not, in terms of self-reported long-term symptoms. Methods: We invited individuals who were PCR tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection at participating hospitals between March 2020-June 2021 to fill an online questionnaire that included baseline demographics, details of their acute episode and information about symptoms they were currently experiencing. Using binomial regression, we compared vaccinated individuals with those unvaccinated in terms of self-reported symptoms post-acute infection. Results: Of 951 previously infected individuals who filled the survey 637(67%) were vaccinated. The most commonly reported symptoms were; fatigue (22%), headache (20%), weakness (13%), and persistent muscle pain (10%). After adjusting for follow-up time and baseline symptoms, fully vaccinated (2 or more doses) individuals were less likely than unvaccinated individuals to report any of these symptoms by 64%, 54%, 57%, and 68% respectively, (Risk ratios 0.36, 0.46, 0.43, 0.32, p<0.04 in the listed sequence). Conclusions: Vaccination with at least two doses of COVID-19 vaccine was associated with a substantial decrease in reporting the most common post-acute COVID19 symptoms. Our results suggest that, in addition to reducing the risk of acute illness, COVID-19 vaccination may have a protective effect against long COVID.

The neuroinvasiveness, neurotropism, and neurovirulence of SARS-CoV-2

“…Furthermore, the risk of developing CNS diseases after infection with SARS-CoV-2 might change after vaccination or prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection. It has already been shown that vaccination partly protects against the development of long COVID [99]. Other variables that might influence the development of CNS disease include, for example, the infection dose and primary replication site of the virus [73].…”

Risk factors and preventive interventions for post Covid-19 condition: systematic reviews

“…Regarding Covid-19 vaccination as a possible preventive intervention, findings from a recent (published since our search) observational study indicate that receiving Covid-19 vaccine after getting infected might offer some protection against long Covid-19 outcomes (74). Other studies we identified from our search or have identified thereafter did not meet inclusion criteria (e.g., vaccination before infection (75, 76), indeterminate timing of vaccination (77), entire sample had post Covid-19 condition (78, 79)). Variations in definition of post Covid-19 outcomes and timing of assessment make it difficult to draw conclusions or compare the findings of our review with other studies.…”

Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccination on the Symptoms of Patients With Long COVID: A Target Trial Emulation Using Data From the ComPaRe e-Cohort in France

“…A small-scale study found a modest overall improvement in the symptoms of 44 patients with long COVID vaccinated against COVID-19, compared with 22 unvaccinated patients 9 . Finally, a recent cross sectional study found that vaccinated patients reported, on average, 50% less post-acute COVID-19 symptoms than unvaccinated patients 10 . Unfortunately, in this study, the vaccination status at the time of infection was unknown and therefore some individuals were infected prior to vaccination while others were vaccinated after.…”