³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ study emphasizes need for COVID-19 booster shots to manage long-term effects
The Brooks College of Health at the ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ recently published a study that highlights the importance of booster vaccinations in managing and mitigating the long-term effects of COVID-19. This study is likely the first to investigate the relationship between COVID-19 booster vaccinations and long-COVID in the U.S. population.
The study found that COVID-19 booster vaccinations are associated with a reduced likelihood of developing long-COVID among U.S. adults. Additionally, the study's findings revealed that certain characteristics, such as age, gender, income and chronic conditions increase the risk of long-COVID.
Drs. Zhigang Xie, assistant professor of public health, and Sericea Stallings-Smith, associate professor of public health, along with ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ public health graduate student Shraddha Patel partnered with two University of Florida researchers for the study.
The study surveyed 8,757 U.S. adults, of which 19.5% experienced long-COVID, 22.2% had not received any COVID-19 vaccine, 17.3% had received only one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 33.3% had completed the initial series of the COVID-19 vaccine and 27.2% had received the COVID-19 booster vaccine. Based on this nationally representative data, the team found that individuals who had contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus and received a COVID-19 booster vaccine were significantly less likely to report long-COVID symptoms compared to those who had not been vaccinated or had only received the initial vaccine series.
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