Association of Vaccination with the Persistence of Post-COVID Symptoms

Abstract

Background Patients who have had COVID-19 often report persistent symptoms after resolution of their acute illness. Recent reports suggest that vaccination may be associated with improvement in post-acute symptoms. We used data from a prospective cohort to assess differences in post-acute sequelae of COVID (PASC) among vaccinated vs. unvaccinated patients. Methods We used data from a cohort of COVID-19 patients enrolled into a prospective registry established at a tertiary care health system in New York City. Participants underwent a baseline evaluation before COVID-19 vaccines were available and were followed 6 months later. We compared unadjusted and propensity score–adjusted baseline to 6-month change for several PASC–related symptoms and measures: anosmia, respiratory (cough, dyspnea, phlegm, wheezing), depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; COVID-19-related and other trauma), and quality-of-life domains among participants who received vs. those who did not receive COVID-19 vaccination. Results The study included 453 COVID-19 patients with PASC, of which 324 (72%) were vaccinated between the baseline and 6-month visit. Unadjusted analyses did not show significant differences in the baseline to 6-month change in anosmia, respiratory symptoms, depression, anxiety, PTSD, or quality of life ( p > 0.05 for all comparisons) among vaccinated vs. unvaccinated patients. Similar results were found in propensity-adjusted comparisons and in secondary analyses based on the number of vaccine doses received. Conclusions Our findings suggest that COVID vaccination is not associated with improvement in PASC. Additional studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying PASC and to develop effective treatments. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11606-022-07465-w.

COVID-19 Vaccine and Long COVID: A Scoping Review

“…A prospective cohort study by Wisnivesky et al [ 17 ] recruited 453 participants with at least one long COVID symptom to complete a baseline interview regarding symptomatology, who were then followed for 6 months. Of those participants, 324 were vaccinated and 129 were unvaccinated.…”

Emotional Reaction to the First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine: Postvaccination Decline in Anxiety and Stress among Anxious Individuals and Increase among Individuals with Normal Prevaccination Anxiety Levels

“…In the wake of the Omicron variant, those who were fully vaccinated with two shots and an additional third booster shot, still found themselves subject to infection and unfortunately still managed to succumb to the Omicron variant [ 18 , 19 ]. Additionally, longitudinal investigations (six months after vaccination) show that compared with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients, patients receiving COVID-19 vaccination do not demonstrate improved post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 such as anosmia, respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, dyspnea, phlegm, wheezing), depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder related to COVID-19 and other trauma, and quality-of-life [ 20 ].…”

Stellenwert der COVID-19-Impfung im Kontext von Long-COVID

“…In einer Studie konnte eine Reduktion der Long-COVID-induziertenHausarztbesuche berichtet werden [36]. Zwei Studien konnten keinen Einfluss der Impfung auf Long-COVID nachweisen [37,38]. Eine Studie beschrieb Long-COVID nicht als Risikofaktor für eine erhöhte Reaktogenität der COVID-19-Impfung [39].…”