Most of us know the VA (Veteran’s Administration) has a large agglomeration of patients. So, that agency affords us the ability to discern trends in disease and treatment. Which is exactly what three researchers at the VA St. Louis (Ziyad Al-Aly, Benjamin Bowe & Yan Xie) have done.
First- and for those of you who read my blog routinely, a not surprising result- we find that the vaccinations are not terribly effective against the newer omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2. Oh, sure, they preclude us from getting hospitalized, being subjected to lung and blood clot disorders- but not against contracting a mild form of the virus.
In their article published in Nature Medicine, the VA researchers discuss their census of 33,940 folks who contracted breakthrough infections of COVID-19. Six months after being diagnosed with COVID, those who were inoculated only had a reduced risk of developing long term COVID- at just 15%. That was contrary to initial hypothesis of the study. (The hope was that inoculations precluded the development of long-term COVID. As a matter of course, the CDC has reported that, for those under 65, 20% of those who contract COVID develop long-term COVID. That jumps to 25% for those over 65.)
The good news is the study considered “vaccinated folks” those who had two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines (or the J&J vaccine). It did not study the results from those who already received one or two booster shots, which significantly amplifies the long-term resistance to COVID-19. (One would hope such a study is coming soon; data from Israel indicates that the boosters are effective against long-term COVID.)
In another study, Dr. Igor Koralnik [along with Drs. S Ali, A Kang, T Patel, J Clark, G Perez-Giraldo, Z Organ, P Lim, M Jimenez, E Graham, A Batra, and E Liotta] of Northwestern, published in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology put to bed the concept that vaccination can preclude long-term COVID. Their study indicated that there was neither a positive nor a negative impact after receiving an additional vaccine.
Which brings up yet a different study. Dr. Daniel Ayoubkhani (UK Office for National Statistics) examined the data from some 28000 folks, aged 18 to 69. For those who were unvaccinated, receiving at least one dose of the vaccine reduced the chances of developing long-term COVID by 13%; a second dose reduces that risk by an additional 9%.
Caveat emptor.
For what it’s worth, I’m vaccinated and boosted, but only one booster. (and I got the booster the week I became eligible.) I’m still not convinced a second booster is of much use. I wear N-95 masks indoors and I don’t eat in indoor restaurants, go to movies or plays, or indoor concerts. (Also known as, “I’m not much fun to be with”. I know two people who got COVID after both boosters (both were given Paxlovid, so I don’t know how they would have fared without meds.) If they develop a booster that is targeted towards Omicron, I will be the first person on line for it.
I plan to get my second booster two weeks before I leave for Israel- to afford myself the best protection as I navigate the air travel system and the crowds in the airport. (I also go nowhere without my mask- and my blower (beneath the mask) to ensure I don’t feel air deprived.)