Long COVID-19 patients aspiring to answer about vaccines

Many recover from COVID-19, but others are finding persistent symptoms. While researchers are working to find out what’s behind what’s called a “long COVID,” some patients want to ask if their hope lies in the vaccine.

According to NIH, symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, and gastrointestinal problems. The agency recently launched an initiative to study what is called the acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC).

Relation: Patients, the medical community is focusing on the long-term effects of COVID-19

Amanda Finley says she got sick twice with COVID-19. At first I couldn’t take the test early in the pandemic and in October I got sick again. Like everyone else, I noticed that her symptoms were prolonged. She has set up an online discussion group for others with similar experience.

“The big thing for me was tachycardia,” she said.

Almost a year after she got sick, she was vaccinated. But what surprised her was what happened next.

“The tachycardia has subsided, and the associated shortness of breath has subsided. The fog in the brain, malaise has subsided. I was a little surprised because I was telling the members that it wasn’t designed, “she said.

Now she is interested in whether the COVID-19 vaccine had any effect and at this point recognizes that it is just an anecdote.

“I realized that this may require careful contact with the researchers to understand what this key is,” she said.

Dr. Christian Brecho, a professor of medicine at USF Health and president of the Global Virus Network, said:

He says more comprehensive research is needed.

“For example, long COVIDs can be attributed to several viral reservoirs, that is, visual persistence in visible hidden areas of the body and vaccines that are effective against these reservoirs. It means there is, but there is no evidence of this. This is just a hypothesis, “he said.

A small, non-peer-reviewed study examined the safety of the vaccine in patients with long COVIDs and concluded that it was not associated with worsening symptoms.

However, there is not much research yet, and as Dr. Brechot points out, it can be difficult to interpret.

“In addition to this, they provided preliminary evidence of the beneficial effects of the vaccine, but since these were also not randomized controlled trials, there is still insufficient evidence of vaccine efficacy. I can say there is, “he said. “This is just a suggestion and may be. Following up on this is clearly very important, but so far there is no conclusive evidence.”

NIAID said more research is needed to understand how COVID-19 vaccination affects people who do not return to full health after the virus. It partially stated that two studies might be useful:

” IMPACC study Follows participants for up to 12 months after admission to COVID-19 to assess recovery and characterization of the immune response.Another study [clinicaltrials.gov] Enrolls people who have recovered from COVID-19 and controls who have never been infected with COVID-19 and will follow participants for 3 years. Although these studies do not supply vaccines, some participants are vaccinated as part of a general US vaccine effort. Researchers are collecting information on participants’ vaccinations and their effects on symptoms. “

The organization Survivor Corps. Surveyed more than 900 members for long-term COVID symptoms after vaccination. 45% reported no change, 42% improved, and 13% reported worsening symptoms.

However, case reports give hope to address the symptoms.

“I have hope, I don’t expect it,” said Vitas Martinenas.

He fights a long COVID and is waiting for a second dose.

“I hope I’ll be one of the lucky ones if it helps some people. It’s not fun to live this way, so I’m grabbing a straw here,” he said. Said.

Meanwhile, Delainne Bond is working to educate others in her online support group and let them know they are not alone.

“It’s a really big gap between what people know, what doctors know, and what patients expect. We’re all looking for a cure,” she said.

Bond doesn’t think the vaccine is improving her symptoms, but for her it’s about preventing another infection. She said that after the COVID-19 illness, symptoms were controlled by interventions that included a strict low-histamine diet after being found to be more sensitive to allergens.

“The message I see many times is that people feel desperate as their lives feel deprived of them. They never intend to regain it.” She said.