Even after two years of struggling and completely adapting to the new normal, we haven’t unfortunately found a cure for the deadly coronavirus. Although the daily number of cases is witnessing a downward trend, Covid-19 is still taking some lives and it can’t be compensated in any way. While the vaccines were introduced to safeguard the people from the virus, experts are suggesting that vaccinated people with mild infections can also experience what’s known as long Covid.
In a candid conversation with the Hindustan Times, Dr. Sanket Jain, Consultant Chest Physician-Pulmonologist, Masina Hospital, Mumbai has revealed some of the symptoms of long COVID that are being experienced by doubly vaccinated people.
Saying that the percentage of vaccinated people experiencing long Covid is very small, however, the majority is among the unvaccinated people. For those who don’t know, long COVID is a term used to describe symptoms that generally last for about a few months after having a confirmed positive case of COVID-19. The Hindustan Times quoted Dr. Jain as saying, “Some of the symptoms which people experience in vaccinated long Covid are low-grade fever, malaise, generalized weakness, severe dry cough, shortness of breath, palpitation, Gastroesophageal reflux disease, fungal skin rashes, headaches, and runny nose.”
Dr. Jain added, “Long covid symptoms can happen irrespective of vaccination. Lethargy, dizziness, nausea, ability to concentrate, mental fogging, fatigue, and loss of appetite are all symptoms of long Covid and they are more common in the elderly population.”
Meanwhile, a recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine, also reveals that vaccinated people with mild breakthrough infections can experience long Covid’s debilitating and lingering symptoms, which also affect the body parts like the brain, lungs, and heart among others. The study also reveals that when compared to unvaccinated patients, the coronavirus vaccine also reduced the risk of death by 34 per cent and the risk of getting long Covid by 15 per cent.
Moreover, vaccines also prevented some of the worrisome manifestations of long COVID-like disorders such as lung and blood clotting, claimed the study. In addition, among the vaccinated population, these disorders declined by around 49 percent and 56 percent respectively.
