Association between BNT162b2 vaccination and reported incidence of post-COVID-19 symptoms: cross-sectional study 2020-21, Israel

  1. Paul Kuodi
  2. Yanay Gorelik
  3. Hiba Zayyad
  4. Ofir Wertheim
  5. Karine Beiruti Wiegler
  6. Kamal Abu Jabal
  7. Amiel A. Dror
  8. Saleh Nazzal
  9. Daniel Glikman
  10. Michael Edelstein

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Abstract

The effectiveness of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines against the long-term COVID-19 symptoms expressed by a substantial proportion of patients is not well understood. We determined whether vaccination with the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine was associated with incidence of reporting long-term symptoms post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. We invited individuals PCR-tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection at participating hospitals between March 2020 and November 2021 to fill an online questionnaire that included information about demographics, acute COVID-19 episode and symptoms they were currently experiencing. Using binomial regression, we compared vaccinated individuals with those unvaccinated and those uninfected, in terms of post-acute self-reported symptoms. Of the 951 infected, 637(67%) were vaccinated. In the study population, the most prevalent symptoms were: fatigue (22%), headache (20%), weakness of limbs (13%), and persistent muscle pain (10%). After adjusting for age, time from beginning of symptoms to responding to the survey, and baseline symptoms, those who received two vaccine doses were less likely than unvaccinated individuals to report any of these symptoms (fatigue, headache, weakness of limbs, persistent muscle pain) by 62%, 50%, 62%, and 66% respectively, (Risk ratios 0.38, 0.50, 0.38, 0.34, p  < 0.04 in the listed sequence). Compared to the 2447 included individuals who never reported SARS-CoV-2 infection, double-vaccinated participants were no more likely to report any of the mentioned symptoms. Vaccination with 2+ doses of BNT162b2 was associated with a reduced risk of reporting most of the common post-acute COVID-19 symptoms. Our results suggest that BNT162b2 vaccination may have a protective effect against longer term COVID-19 symptoms.

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  1. Version published to 10.1038/s41541-022-00526-5
  2. Version published to 10.1101/2022.01.05.22268800v2 on medRxiv
  3. ScreenIT

    SciScore for 10.1101/2022.01.05.22268800: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    Ethicsnot detected.
    Sex as a biological variablenot detected.
    Randomizationnot detected.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power Analysisnot detected.

    Table 2: Resources

    Software and Algorithms
    SentencesResources
    Datasets were processed using Microsoft Excel and analysed using STATA version 15.
    Microsoft Excel
    suggested: (Microsoft Excel, RRID:SCR_016137)
    STATA
    suggested: (Stata, RRID:SCR_012763)

    Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).

    Results from LimitationRecognizer: We detected the following sentences addressing limitations in the study:
    A final limitation is the self-reported nature of the symptoms, in particular since individuals who are eager to vaccinate may differ from those who do not vaccinate in terms of perceptions of health and illness. This study offers a snapshot of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine on the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The findings suggest that in addition to preventing severe disease and death [26], COVID-19 vaccines, or at least the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine used in Israel, may play a useful role in preventing long-term outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection that fit within the current WHO definition of long COVID, in particular among older adults. Studies such as this one should be complemented by studies objectively measuring long-term health outcomes in COVID-19 patients in a clinical setting. Our cohort, which continues to recruit participants, will enable us to report with more precision whether the BNT162b2 mRNA protective effect reported in this study is sustained, as well as the effect of the different SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccination on post-COVID symptoms.

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.

    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.

    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.

    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    Results from scite Reference Check: We found no unreliable references.

    About SciScore

    SciScore is an automated tool that is designed to assist expert reviewers by finding and presenting formulaic information scattered throughout a paper in a standard, easy to digest format. SciScore checks for the presence and correctness of RRIDs (research resource identifiers), and for rigor criteria such as sex and investigator blinding. For details on the theoretical underpinning of rigor criteria and the tools shown here, including references cited, please follow this link.

  4. Version published to 10.1101/2022.01.05.22268800v1 on medRxiv