Abstract:
Objectives: We aimed to describe post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) related symptoms 3-15 months after a positive test in SARS-CoV-2 unvaccinated and vaccinated participants with a breakthrough infection.
Methods: Participants of the Norwegian COVID-19 Cohort, without a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, filled in a questionnaire asking about PASC-related symptoms between November 2020 and January 2021. About a year later, a second questionnaire (which also included the Everyday Memory Questionnaire 13 (EMQ-13)) was filled in by the same participants, most still without a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, but also by unvaccinated and vaccinated participants with a positive test 3-15 months before the questionnaire. Laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 status (positive or negative swab test determined by reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction) at the time of completing questionnaires was ascertained from the Mandatory Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases.
Results: No differences were found in the self-reported PASC-symptoms dyspnea, fatigue, smell/taste changes or concentration problems, or the EMQ-13 score between unvaccinated and vaccinated participants 3-15 months after the positive test. Less memory problems were reported among vaccinated than unvaccinated participants.
Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 vaccines offer minor protection against PASC-symptoms, although less memory problems were reported among the vaccinated than the unvaccinated participants.
Source: Brunvoll SH, Nygaard AB, Fagerland MW, Holland P, Ellingjord-Dale M, Dahl JA, Søraas A. Post-acute symptoms 3-15 months after COVID-19 among unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals with a breakthrough infection. Int J Infect Dis. 2022 Nov 11;126:10–3. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.11.009. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36375693; PMCID: PMC9651990. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9651990/ (Full text)