Getting vaccinated after infection reduces the risk of Long Covid

Those affected by the Sars-CoV-2 virus could benefit from vaccination, even after infection. Not only to reduce the risk of getting infected again or developing severe forms of the disease, but also to protect yourself from Long Covid. This was demonstrated by a study conducted in the United Kingdom and published in the British Medical Journal.

INTERACTIVE What is Long Covid

According to a definition completely shared by all health authorities, we can speak of Long Covid after three months from the diagnosis of Sars-CoV-2 infection, in the presence of symptoms that have persisted for at least two months and that cannot be explained by a other diagnosis. “It is estimated that at least half of the people who have contracted the Covid-19 disease – he explains Giovanni Magadirector of the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the National Research Council (Cnr-Igm) – you experience a series of consequences for months, which can range from fairly mild symptoms, such as migraines and sleep disturbances, to even more important symptoms, such as pain diffuse joints, gastrointestinal disorders, concentration problems such as to limit even daily activities “. And he adds.” Even a study on the first infected in Wuhan reveals symptoms still after two years “.

In the new study, the researchers suggest a possible strategy to stem the problem, which is still unclear but certainly urgent. By monitoring 28,356 adults between the ages of 18 and 69, the scientists showed that those who received at least one dose of the vaccine after contracting the infection had a lower risk of developing Long Covid.

In particular, during the monitoring, which lasted seven months, i.e. from February to September 2021, 24% of the sample had reported symptoms of Long Covid. A more in-depth analysis, however, made it possible to highlight that a first dose of vaccine administered after the infection reduced the risk of developing symptoms of Long Covid by 13%. A second dose further lowered the odds by 9%.

“Long Covid is unfortunately a reality we have to deal with for a long time”, comments Maga. “So any further elements that allow us to understand what are the best strategies to reduce the long-term impact of the sequelae due to the infection is certainly important,” she adds. The Italian expert finds the conclusions of the British study rather plausible. “This study – he explains – links vaccination with a reduced risk of having post-Covid consequences. This in itself has a fairly immediate justification. We know that the vaccinated person has lower viral loads. Normally it has a course of the disease. milder and shorter. If, as it seems, the effect of Long Covid depends on the damage induced by viral replication and above all on the inflammation that often becomes chronic, it is clear that vaccination, especially with a complete cycle, mitigates these consequences in the course of infection, also reduce the risk that virus damage can persist and cause sequelae over time “.

The anti-Covid vaccination, after infection, could therefore have a further advantage also against Long Covid. “Surely these are data that will need to be confirmed on larger series and with more in-depth studies also based on the mechanisms”, says Maga. “But they are certainly a further indication that getting vaccinated is not only essential to combat contagion and serious disease, but it is also a useful way to reduce the risk of having long-term sequelae”, she concludes.