A recent study about the efficiency of vaccines against long Covid shows that the shots only have a reduced impact. While vaccines seemed to protect against lung and blood clots, they did not prevent many of the other symptoms.
The study was performed on 33,940 individuals who were infected with Covid after vaccination. According to The Washington Post, the lead researcher of the paper, Ziyad Al-Aly stated that “I was hoping to see that vaccines offer more protection, especially given that vaccines are our only line of defense nowadays”.
Long covid is an issue that many people are experiencing. It consists of a wide range of symptoms that people deal with for a long time after being infected. According to the World Health Organization, “Post COVID-19 condition occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS CoV-2 infection, usually 3 months from the onset of COVID-19 with symptoms and that last for at least 2 months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction but also others and generally have an impact on everyday functioning”.
The study analyzed patients who were vaccinated with the Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine, not including booster shots. Researchers found that one in five people who were infected with Covid-19 has experienced, or is still experiencing medical issues related to long Covid.
Among the most common lingering symptoms was heart inflammation and general inflammation in the body, as well as kidney problems. At the same time, results showed that women were more prone to experience long Covid symptoms than men. According to a cardiology professor at the University of Glasgow, cited by CNN, where another study on this issue was performed, “COVID-19 is a multi-system disease, and our study shows that injury on the heart, lungs and kidneys can be seen after initial hospitalization in scans and blood tests”.
