Vaccination reduces the risk of long Covid in children and does not cause sudden death - report
Kyiv • UNN
Vaccination reduces the risk of long COVID in children by 57-73%. The study also refutes the link between vaccines and sudden cardiac death in young athletes.
New scientific research results refute a claim that has gained popularity on social media and among anti-vaccination groups. This was reported by UNN with reference to JAMA Network Open and the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Details
COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of long COVID by 57-73% in children and adolescents. This is according to scientists based on the results of a study that compared how often vaccinated and unvaccinated children developed symptoms of long COVID.
Reference
SARS-2 coronavirus infection is less dangerous for children (without pre-existing conditions) than for the elderly and very elderly. However, even in young people, post-acute symptoms sometimes occur after the infection subsides, i.e., symptoms that doctors classify as long COVID.
How the study was conducted and what it showed
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recruited 622 girls and boys, aged 5 to 17, for a long-term study. Between July 2021 and September 2022, they had at least one COVID-19 diagnosis confirmed by a PCR test.
The children were then regularly interviewed until May 2023. 28 children developed temporary symptoms of long COVID after the primary infection subsided, while the rest did not.
Experts note that even mild cases can lead to long COVID, according to the authors of the first study.
Long COVID will affect up to 3% of children infected with SARS-CoV-2. This percentage will have symptoms that persist or develop four or more weeks after the initial phase of infection.
As tens of millions of children become infected with the pandemic virus, a large number of them are at risk of becoming ill
In their study, scientists differentiated children based on whether they were vaccinated.
Vaccination was shown to reduce the risk of developing at least one symptom of long COVID by 57 percent. With two or more symptoms, the risk was even lower at 73 percent.
Our results suggest that children should be aware of current COVID-19 vaccination recommendations, as vaccination not only protects against severe COVID-19 disease but also protects against long COVID-19.
COVID vaccinations do not cause sudden death
Another important study published in JAMA Network provided more data that annual vaccinations are not associated with sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death in young athletes—a claim that gained popularity on social media and among anti-vaccine groups during the acute phase of the pandemic.
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While previous analyses failed to find a link between COVID-19 vaccines and sudden cardiac death, the new study took a broader approach. The study, led by researchers at the University of Washington, examined whether the number of sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) and sudden cardiac deaths (SCD) among young athletes changed during the pandemic (2020–2022).
Scientists collected medical records and autopsy reports of athletes at youth, middle school, high school, club, college, or professional levels.
There were a total of 387 cases, with no statistically significant difference in the number of cases in the pre-pandemic years (203) compared to the number of cases during the pandemic (184).
This cohort study found no increase in SCA/SCD in young athletes competing in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports claiming otherwise overestimate the cardiovascular risk of COVID-19 infection, vaccination, and myocarditis.