Post-acute symptoms 3-15 months after COVID-19 among unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals with a breakthrough infection 2022 Brunvoll et al

Highlights

• More symptoms in SARS-CoV-2 positive than negative participants ≥3 months post-COVID
• Most symptoms no different between vaccinated and unvaccinated positive participants
• No difference in EMQ-13 score comparing vaccinated to unvaccinated participants
• Less memory problems were reported among vaccinated than unvaccinated participants

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.

Open access, https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(22)00596-3/fulltext