United Kingdom policy for the post vaccination phase is becoming an informal experiment of what living with COVID means. The UK strategy involves warp speed mass vaccination, followed by cutting back radically on social control. British scientists have been scrambling to follow the results through research. Open Government announced a finding double vaccination cuts Long COVID cases by half.
Two Vaccine Shots Deliver Three Benefits
King’s College researchers used input from UK adults 18 years and older that participated in the COVID Symptom Study. However, they restricted their participants to those who had two vaccine shots, between Dec 8, 2020 and July 4, 2021. This data informed them:
1… Hospitalization for the original infection was 73% less likely
2… Acute symptoms requiring intensive care were down 31%
3… The participants were 49% less likely to develop Long COVID.
However, those benefits were not across the board. Personal demographics meant people with single vaccinations were twice as likely to contract COVID-19. Those factors included living in disadvantaged areas, and having pre-existing health conditions.
Great News Double Vaccination Cuts Long COVID Cases
This is great news, lead researcher Dr. Claire Steves from King’s College London says. The research found a double vaccination significantly reduces the risk of catching the virus. And if this still happens, the chance of developing long-standing symptoms is far less.
‘Double vaccinations reduce the risk of any symptoms by 8 to 10 fold,’ she told Open Government. And then halve the chances of any infection turning into Long COVID, if it does happen. Vaccinations really are changing the disease and for the better.’
However double vaccinations did not cut Long COVID across the board. ‘The risk is still significant among our frail, older adults and those living in deprived areas,’ Dr. Claire Steves continued. ‘They should therefore be urgent priorities for second and booster vaccinations.’ We encourage those concerned to have them.
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