After the high corona numbers, the cases of long and post-Covid could now increase. A new study shows how high the risk is. The scientists also examined whether there were differences between those who had been vaccinated twice and those who had been vaccinated three times.
Not all people who have gone through a Covid infection are healthy again afterwards. Instead, some suffer from certain symptoms for weeks or even months, such as shortness of breath, exhaustion or headaches. Doctors speak of “Long-Covid” or “Post-Covid” here.
In a new analysis, researchers have now examined the extent to which the number of vaccine doses influences the long-Covid risk. On the one hand, they differentiated depending on the virus variant. But also depending on the number of vaccine doses that were administered. Participants had either two or three doses of the vaccine
obtain.
In addition, they were at least 18 years old and had been infected with the corona virus for the first time. The scientists asked the subjects whether they were still experiencing symptoms of any severity more than four weeks after the initial infection that could not be explained otherwise than by the previous corona infection. At the same time, the researchers determined to what extent the participants were restricted by the symptoms in their everyday life. The results were published by the British government and included people who were part of the British “Coronavirus Infection Survey”.
The study included patients with delta infection as well as people infected with BA.1 (omicron) and BA.2 (omicron). At the moment BA.2 is predominant in this country as well as in the UK. It is still interesting to look at the other variants. Because researchers have not yet been able to rule out that the Delta variant – or a new version with similar properties – could again increase proportionately.
For example, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach warned in the “Rheinische Post” at the weekend against returning to the Delta – with reference to an Israeli study, according to which the Delta variant was also detected in the wastewater.
According to the Oxford analysis, people who have been vaccinated twice developed long-Covid as follows:
According to the scientists, there is not enough data to make reliable statements about the BA.2 variant in people who have been vaccinated twice.
According to the Oxford analysis, people who have been vaccinated three times developed long-Covid like this:
Apart from the delta infections, according to the analysis, there is hardly any statistical difference between those who have been vaccinated twice and those who have been vaccinated three times in terms of the risk of developing long-Covid. The scientists had adjusted the results in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and previous illnesses. However, they emphasize that the analysis only includes primary infections and the results cannot therefore be generalized to all reinfections.
In addition, unvaccinated and only once vaccinated participants were excluded. There could well be differences in the long-Covid risk between them and those who have been vaccinated twice or three times: Back in January, scientists from Israel and Great Britain were able to show in a preprint study that vaccinated people developed long-Covid symptoms much less frequently. Seven out of ten typical symptoms occurred 50 to 80 percent less frequently in vaccinated people than in unvaccinated people.
And that also seems to be emerging in clinical practice, as Jördis Frommhold, chief physician in the department for respiratory diseases and allergies at the Median Clinic in Heiligendamm, told the “Helmholtz Center”: Only very rarely are those treated with long-Covid those with breakthrough infections . That speaks clearly for the vaccination. “In addition to the advantage of a milder course, vaccination can clearly limit both late effects of intensive care and likely long-Covid consequences”.
