'Long COVID symptoms less likely if…' UK study on resisting complications after coronavirus infection
2 min read . Updated: 15 Feb 2022, 09:59 PM IST
Premium- Studies have also shown more people reported an improvement in Long Covid symptoms rather than a worsening following vaccination.
Long COVID is less likely to affect vaccinated people than unvaccinated people, UK Health Security Agency said on Tuesday based on as many as 15 studies. This comes at a time when World Health Organisation (WHO) and other experts have warned that the long-term effects of coronavirus could be critical affecting all organs of the body. Several studies have also suggested that people can suffer from post COVID complications even after mild infections.
Long Covid: Some patients improved after vaccination
UKHSA further clarified that people who received two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech , AstraZeneca or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the single-shot J&J vaccine, were around half as likely to develop symptoms of long COVID compared to the unvaccinated. Studies have also shown more people reported an improvement in Long Covid symptoms rather than a worsening following vaccination.
"These studies add to the potential benefits of receiving a full course of the COVID-19 vaccination," said Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at UKHSA adding, "Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself from serious symptoms when you get infected and may also help to reduce the longer-term impact."
What are the most common symptoms of long COVID?
As per the UKHSA, the most common symptoms of long COVID include fatigue, shortness of breath and muscle or joint pain.
“For most people symptoms of long COVID are short-lived and resolve over time," Ramsay said and added, “But for some, symptoms can be more severe and disrupting to their daily lives."
"If you're experiencing unusual symptoms particularly for longer than four weeks after infection, you should consider contacting your GP."
The UKHSA said that an estimated 2% of the UK population had reported symptoms of long COVID
What WHO said on long COVID?
Last week, WHO officials said that the long-term effects of the coronavirus can be critical, affecting every part of your body. The symptoms can range from shortness of breath to heart diseases, and yet a lot more is still unknown.
When people talk about COVID, they think of it as an upper respiratory disease, but it is more of systemic disease. Literally, it was affecting every part of the cardiovascular system one year down and later, said WHO official Dr. Abdi Mahamud.
“The risk and complication from COVID, when we see it is not as a respiratory pathogen. Of course, that’s the way of entry, but it’s affecting every part of your body because of the vessels. It can cause vasculitis."
