Healthcare workers who received two or three COVID-19 vaccinations were less likely to suffer from long-haul symptoms if they contracted the virus, according to results of a new study.
The investigation looked at more than 2,500 healthcare workers at nine Italian healthcare facilities between March 2020 and April 2022. Among the workers infected by the virus, long-haul COVID-19 was prevalent in approximately 42% of those who were unvaccinated, 30% for those who had one vaccine dose, 17.4% for those with two doses and 16% for those who received three doses of the vaccine.
Long-haul COVID-19 was defined as having at least one symptom for more than four weeks. Those who were hospitalized were excluded from the study.
Study co-author Maria Rescigno told MedPage Today the variant of the virus played an insignificant role in who contracted long-haul COVID-19.
“Our multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that the number of vaccination doses and not the variant was associated with a reduced prevalence of long COVID,” Rescigno said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 66% of Americans have received two COVID-19 shots, 48% have received one booster and 27% have received a second booster. Still, Americans should be prepared for yet another shot as soon as this fall. Last week, a panel of advisors to the Food and Drug Administration recommended a new vaccine booster that will target the omicron variant. In making the recommendation, the panel said older adults and other at-risk Americans should be first in line for the boosters when they become available.
