If you’re worried about long COVID—and you probably should be, because it’s serious—you can likely and significantly decrease your odds of contracting it very simply, according to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. This is huge!
“The medical community is still working to understand the full impact that long COVID has on society, as well as predictors of who is likely to be affected,” Dr. Teresa Austin Karre, MD, FCAP, member of the College of American Pathologists Microbiology Committee, associate professor and medical director of microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, tells Parade. “As the diagnostic criteria become better defined, and more novel approaches to prevention and treatment are studied, we will hopefully find ourselves better equipped to address the public health consequences of this potentially debilitating syndrome.”
The study, published in late July 2024 and following more than 440,000 patients who had COVID-19, indicates that getting vaccinated for COVID-19 can reduce the risk of long COVID by 30-50%.
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By the numbers: In the study’s unvaccinated group, about 10 out of 100 people early in the pandemic (before vaccines were available) had long COVID a year after infection. After vaccines became available, about 10 out of 100 unvaccinated people got long COVID from June 2021 through December 2021, compared to about 5 out of 100 vaccinated people. The vaccine appeared to protect even better against the Omicron variant, with about eight in 100 COVID unvaccinated patients contracting long COVID versus only four out of 100 vaccinated people.
The study’s authors did note that getting vaccinated won’t mean you’re completely out of the woods, but that it likely does help significantly reduce your risk of long COVID. Experts we spoke with agreed.
“Vaccinations, when received as part of a complete vaccination series, are shown to reduce the risk of developing severe illness and by extension reduce the risk of lingering symptoms and conditions characteristic of long COVID,” Southern Texas University infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Zuri Dale, MD, says.
Here’s what to know about how vaccination impacts your long COVID risk—but as always, check with your physician to find out what’s best for you specifically.
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Does Vaccination Reduce the Risk of Long COVID?
Though it’s not a be-all-end-all study, it’s very likely.
“Several published articles have studied the effect of vaccination on the risk of long COVID,” Dr. Austin Karre says. “One meta-analysis by Notarte et al., which included 11 peer-reviewed studies, concluded that vaccination is associated with a lower risk of long COVID, with two doses showing a greater impact than a single dose.”
That said, the risk of long COVID is still likely to be higher for some people than others: If you’re assigned female at birth, over 50 or have other pre-existing medical conditions, Dr. Austin Karre says, you may have a higher chance of being impacted by long COVID than others.
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How Often Should We Get COVID Boosters to Prevent Long COVID?
That depends on a few factors, but experts recommend following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Current guidelines suggest that individuals should receive additional boosters as the vaccines are updated to cover current strains,” Dr. Austin Karre notes. “The current recommendation from the CDC is that all patients 12 years and older should receive one dose of the 2023-2024 COVID vaccine, regardless of the number of prior doses received. The CDC also recommends that people 65 years of age and older who have had one dose of the 2023-2024 vaccine should receive one additional dose of the 2023-2024 COVID vaccine.”
Can Long COVID Be Treated?
Sort of—but long COVID treatment is often indirect.
“Every day, we hear the growing frustration of those who seek answers and treatment for the persistent symptoms that remain long after the COVID-19 virus has left their bodies,” Michael Gottlieb, MD, RDMS, FAAEM, FACEP, vice chair of research and professor of emergency medicine at RUSH University System for Health says. “But every day, we also gain a more precise and data-informed understanding of the symptoms and conditions that have been grouped together as long COVID. The ongoing INSPIRE study, for example, shows there are several distinct, symptom-defined phenotypes among those experiencing persistent symptoms. This more precise understanding can lead to more targeted and effective treatments.”
Part of what makes treating long COVID tricky is that symptoms can vary so widely from patient to patient—and there isn’t a single reliable standard test for long COVID. According to Dr. Austin Karre, this can make it difficult for physicians to diagnose a patient with long COVID versus another illness or condition.
Several studies are ongoing for potential drugs and treatments for long COVID, Dr. Austin Karre says, including steroids, blood pressure medications, probiotics, stem cells and immune therapies.
“There is no one single therapy that appears to work for all patients,” she explains. “Likewise, non-drug options such as physical therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, cognitive training and hyperbaric oxygen therapy also show promise for some patients, but what works best for which patients still requires study.”
Related: These Are the Most Common Long COVID Symptoms
How Else Can We Protect Ourselves From Long COVID?
According to Dr. Austin Karre, the answer to protecting yourself from getting long COVID is a lot of stuff you’ve likely heard before (and hopefully already been doing).
“The most effective means of protecting yourself from long COVID is to avoid infection in the first place,” she notes. “Steps such as washing or sanitizing your hands often, cleaning frequently touched surfaces and putting a distance between yourself and others may all reduce the spread of COVID and other respiratory viruses. Wearing a mask when around others who may be infected is an additional strategy you may consider, particularly if there is a lot of COVID circulating in the community or if you or the people around you are at risk of severe illness.”
While there are some risk factors you can’t control (like your sex assignment at birth, age or pre-existing medical conditions), Dr. Austin Karre says that other factors can also increase your chances of getting long COVID—and that you can and should do something about them to mitigate your risk.
“Cigarette smoking, obesity and not being vaccinated against COVID are things that a person can potentially take actions to address,” she says, “and thus reduce their risk of long COVID.”
Next, More Ways to Protect Yourself From Long COVID
Sources
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Yan Xie, Ph.D.; Taeyoung Choi, M.S. and Ziyad Al-Aly, M.D., “Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Pre-Delta, Delta, and Omicron Eras,” New England Journal of Medicine
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