Long Covid less common in the fully vaccinated, says UK health agency
We are getting more knowledge around how to tackle the virus, as Health Editor Emily Morgan reports
People who have been fully vaccinated against Covid are less likely to have lasting symptoms than those who remain unjabbed, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has found.
The UKHSA reviewed 15 studies to compare the effects of vaccination against long Covid symptoms - the most common of which are fatigue, shortness of breath and muscle or joint pain.
Those who received one or two vaccine doses were less likely to develop such symptoms following infection, compared with unvaccinated people.
This was according to the results of most of the eight studies in the review which looked at the effect of vaccinations administered before infection.
People already with Covid who received two doses of the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Janssen vaccine, were about half as likely as people who received one dose or were unvaccinated to develop long Covid symptoms lasting more than 28 days.
Those over the age of 60 appear to have higher levels of protection against lasting symptoms following an infection compared to younger adults, researchers found.
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61-year-old Peter Nagy, who has Long Covid, told ITV News UKHSA's finding made him regret not getting the jab.
“The biggest issue for me is the brain fog, forgetfulness, the massive fatigue i feel at times and just lacking that energy,” he said.
“These studies add to the potential benefits of receiving a full course of the Covid-19 vaccination,” Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at the UKHSA, said.
“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.”
NHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis added: “With more than 10,000 people in hospital with Covid, this study is a timely and important reminder that vaccines remain our best protection against the virus, reducing the chances of becoming seriously unwell as well as the effects of long Covid."
The UKHSA said an estimated 2% of the UK population had reported symptoms of long Covid, for which there is no effective cure.
What is long Covid?
Long Covid describes a range of symptoms that persist for more than four weeks after being infected with the virus. Symptoms vary but include fatigue, muscle pain and difficulty concentrating, or "brain fog".
From the latest figures, based on self-reporting from a representative sample of people in private households, fatigue continues to be the most common symptom - experienced by 51%.
Loss of smell was the second most common (37%), followed by shortness of breath (36%) and difficulty concentrating (28%).
Other symptoms that have been linked to Long Covid include "brain fog", a lack of concentration, mental health problems and even hair loss among some "long haulers".
How many people are estimated to have it in the UK?
In January, Office for National Statistics figures indicated that around 1.3 million people in the UK were living with long Covid, the highest number since estimates began.
The ONS figures equated to one in every 50 people suffering the long term effects of coronavirus.
Who is getting long Covid? According to the ONS data, people working in teaching and education showed a greater prevalence of self-reported long Covid than other professions, and also saw the biggest month-on-month increase, from 2.7% to 3.1%. For people working in health care the figure dropped from 3.3% to 3.0%, and for people in social care it fell from 3.6% to 3.4%. Among age groups the biggest jumps were for children aged 12 to 16, where prevalence rose month-on-month from 1.4% to 1.9%, and for 35 to 49-year-olds, up from 2.6% to 2.8%.
These responses were collected in the four weeks to December 6.