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. 2023 Oct 12;11(10):1590.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines11101590.

Long COVID Prevalence and the Impact of the Third SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Dose: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from the Third Follow-Up of the Borriana Cohort, Valencia, Spain (2020-2022)

Salvador Domènech-Montoliu  1 , Joan Puig-Barberà  2 , Gema Badenes-Marques  1 , María Gil-Fortuño  3 , Alejandro Orrico-Sánchez  2 , María Rosario Pac-Sa  4 , Oscar Perez-Olaso  3 , Diego Sala-Trull  1 , Manuel Sánchez-Urbano  1 , Alberto Arnedo-Pena  4   5
Affiliations

Long COVID Prevalence and the Impact of the Third SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Dose: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from the Third Follow-Up of the Borriana Cohort, Valencia, Spain (2020-2022)

Salvador Domènech-Montoliu et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: In March 2020, a COVID-19 outbreak linked to mass gathering dinners at the Falles Festival in Borriana, Spain, resulted in an estimated attack rate of 42.6% among attendees.

Methods: In June 2022, we conducted a cross-sectional follow-up study of 473 adults aged 18 to 64 who attended the dinners at the Falles Festival in 2020, examining the cumulative experience after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination responses. Data included demographic details, lifestyle habits, medical history, infection records, and vaccinations from a population-based vaccine registry. Blood samples were analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and cellular immunity. We employed a doubly robust inverse-probability weighting analysis to estimate the booster vaccine dose's impact on long COVID prevalence and symptom count.

Results: A total of 28.1% of participants met the WHO criteria for long COVID, with older individuals showing higher rates. Long COVID diagnosis was less likely with factors including O blood group, higher occupational status, physical activity, three vaccine doses, strong SARS-CoV-2-S-reactive IFNγ-producing-CD8+ response, and infection during the Omicron period. Increased age, high or low social activity, underlying health conditions, a severe initial COVID episode, and reinfection were associated with higher long COVID likelihood. A booster dose, compared to one or two doses, reduced long COVID risk by 74% (95% CI: 56% to 92%) and symptom count by 55% (95% CI: 32% to 79%).

Conclusion: Long COVID was prevalent in a significant portion of those who contracted COVID-19, underscoring the need for sustained follow-up and therapeutic strategies. Vaccinations, notably the booster dose, had a substantial beneficial effect on long-term infection outcomes, affirming the vaccination's role in mitigating SARS-CoV-2 infection consequences.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination; booster dose; cellular immunity; human; long COVID; prevalence; risk factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Timeline of first infection, reinfection, and vaccination (1st, 2nd, and 3rd doses) and VOC circulating periods for subjects included in the third follow-up study, June 2022. Borriana Cohort, 2020–2022.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Symptoms post-COVID and their distribution by long COVID status.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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