COVID-19 vaccination linked to persistence of long-term health risks of COVID infection: Study

A recent study highlights the persistent risk of long-term health consequences following SARS-CoV-2 infection and the protective effects of COVID-19 vaccination. The findings were published in the recent edition of the Nature Communications journal that provide crucial insights into the ongoing pandemic.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted in Hong Kong analyzed data from a territory-wide public healthcare database and encompassed a total of 1,175,277 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. This research stratified individuals by their vaccination status and compared them to non-infected controls. Over the course of one year, this study meticulously evaluated the risk of clinical sequelae, cardiovascular complications and all-cause mortality.

The results revealed a progressive reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality among the patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection when compared to the control group. The patients who were fully vaccinated or had received booster doses expressed a notably lower risk of experiencing major cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality when compared to those who were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. This protective effect was particularly evident within the first 30-90 days post-infection.

The individuals who had completed their vaccination series or received booster doses did not face a significant increase in health risks from 271 and 91 days after infection, respectively. On the contrary, the individuals who remained unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated continued to endure a heightened risk of clinical sequelae for up to a year following SARS-CoV-2 infection. This real-world evidence highlights the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in reducing the long-term health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its persistence.

Reference:

Lam, I. C. H., Zhang, R., Man, K. K. C., Wong, C. K. H., Chui, C. S. L., Lai, F. T. T., Li, X., Chan, E. W. Y., Lau, C. S., Wong, I. C. K., & Wan, E. Y. F. (2024). Persistence in risk and effect of COVID-19 vaccination on long-term health consequences after SARS-CoV-2 infection. In Nature Communications (Vol. 15, Issue 1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45953-1