Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-2-2023
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Although COVID-19 vaccines offer protection against infection and severe disease, there is limited information on the effect of vaccination on prolonged symptoms following COVID-19. Our objective was to determine differences in prevalence of prolonged symptoms 6 weeks after onset of COVID-19 among healthcare personnel (HCP) by vaccination status, and to assess differences in timing of return to work.
DESIGN: Cohort analysis of HCP with COVID-19 enrolled in a multicentre vaccine effectiveness study. HCP with COVID-19 between December 2020 and August 2021 were followed up 6 weeks after illness onset.
SETTING: Health systems in 12 US states.
PARTICIPANTS: HCP participating in a vaccine effectiveness study were eligible for inclusion if they had laboratory-confirmed symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 with mRNA vaccination (symptom onset ≥14 days after two doses) or no prior vaccination. Among 681 eligible participants, 419 (61%) completed a follow-up survey to assess symptoms reported 6 weeks after illness onset.
EXPOSURES: Two doses of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine compared with no COVID-19 vaccine.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of symptoms 6 weeks after onset of COVID-19 illness and days to return to work.
RESULTS: Among 419 HCP with COVID-19, 298 (71%) reported one or more COVID-like symptoms 6 weeks after illness onset, with a lower prevalence among vaccinated participants compared with unvaccinated participants (60.6% vs 79.1%; adjusted risk ratio 0.70, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.84). Following their illness, vaccinated HCP returned to work a median 2.0 days (95% CI 1.0 to 3.0) sooner than unvaccinated HCP (adjusted HR 1.37, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.79).
CONCLUSIONS: Receipt of two doses of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine among HCP with COVID-19 illness was associated with decreased prevalence of COVID-like symptoms at 6 weeks and earlier return to work.
Recommended Citation
Mohr, Nicholas M.; Plumb, Ian D.; Harland, Kari K.; Pilishvili, Tamara; Fleming-Dutra, Katherine E.; Krishnadasan, Anusha; Hoth, Karin F.; Saydah, Sharon H.; Mankoff, Zachary; Haran, John P.; Briggs-Hagen, Melissa; León, Eliezer Santos; and Talan, David A., "Presence of Symptoms 6 Weeks After COVID-19 Among Vaccinated and Unvaccinated US Healthcare Personnel: A Prospective Cohort Study" (2023). Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers. Paper 219.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/emfp/219
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
PubMed ID
36731936
Language
English
Comments
This article is the author's final published version in BMJ Open, Volume 13, Issue 2, 2023, Article number e063141.
The published version is available at http://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063141. Copyright © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Published by BMJ.