COVID-19 vaccination linked to lower long COVID risk in adolescents

Adolescents who were vaccinated against COVID-19 were less likely to develop long COVID after their first SARS-CoV-2 infection than unvaccinated peers, finds a new study.

The study, led by the NIH-funded RECOVER Initiative, is the first to examine the potential benefits of COVID vaccination in adolescents beyond lowering the severity of initial COVID symptoms. 

"These findings provide evidence that COVID vaccination has an important secondary effect in helping to mitigate the risk of long COVID in adolescents," says Melissa Stockwell, a pediatrician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and clinical senior author of the study.

The RECOVER research team estimates that approximately 5.8 million youths have experienced long COVID which can include prolonged symptoms such as daytime fatigue, joint and muscle aches, and memory problems.

Previous studies have shown that vaccination against COVID-19 can reduce the risk of long COVID in adults. But evidence of a similar benefit among youths has been limited. 

The new study included over 1,200 adolescents from across the United States; 724 were vaccinated against COVID in the six months prior to their first infection and 507 were not vaccinated. 

The researchers found that the risk of developing long COVID was over 20% among unvaccinated youths and about 13% among those who were vaccinated-representing a 36% reduction in risk after vaccination. 

"Every day, our study sees young people who are unable to fully participate in the activities they enjoy while they deal with long COVID symptoms," says Stockwell. "While our study did not look at the effects of COVID vaccination in adolescents with subsequent infections, our findings strongly suggest that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 could allow many more adolescents to live their lives normally after COVID infection."