Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39948466›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2025

The impact of COVID vaccination on incidence of long COVID and healthcare resource utilisation in a primary care cohort in England, 2021-2022.

Jingyan Yang, Kiran K Rai, Tamuno Alfred, Lucy Massey, Olivia Massey, Leah McGrath, Kathleen M Andersen, Theo Tritton, Carmen Tsang, Rebecca Butfield and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Jingyan YangGlobal Value and Access, Pfizer Inc, 66 Hudson Blvd E, New York, NY, 10001, USA. Jingyan.yang@pfizer.com.
Kiran K RaiAdelphi Real World, Bollington, UK.
Tamuno AlfredGlobal Value and Access, Pfizer Inc, 66 Hudson Blvd E, New York, NY, 10001, USA.
Lucy MasseyAdelphi Real World, Bollington, UK.
Olivia MasseyAdelphi Real World, Bollington, UK.
Leah McGrathGlobal Value and Access, Pfizer Inc, 66 Hudson Blvd E, New York, NY, 10001, USA.
Kathleen M AndersenGlobal Value and Access, Pfizer Inc, 66 Hudson Blvd E, New York, NY, 10001, USA.
Theo TrittonAdelphi Real World, Bollington, UK.
Carmen TsangPfizer Ltd, Tadworth, UK.
Rebecca ButfieldPfizer Ltd, Tadworth, UK.
Charlie ReynardPfizer Ltd, Tadworth, UK.
Diana MendesPfizer Ltd, Tadworth, UK.
Jennifer L NguyenGlobal Value and Access, Pfizer Inc, 66 Hudson Blvd E, New York, NY, 10001, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLong COVID, a diverse set of symptoms that persist after a minimum of 4 weeks from the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, has posed substantial burden to healthcare systems. There is some evidence that COVID-19 vaccination may be associated with lower risk of long COVID. However, little is known about the association between vaccination status and long COVID-associated healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) and costs.

methodsWe conducted a cohort study using primary care electronic health record data in England from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum dataset linked to Hospital Episode Statistics where available. Adult (≥ 18 years) patients were indexed on a COVID-19 diagnosis between 1st March 2021 and 1st December 2021. Vaccination status was assessed at index: unvaccinated or completed primary series (two doses for immunocompetent and three doses for immunocompromised patients). Covariate balance was conducted using entropy balancing. Weighted multivariable Poisson regression was used to estimate the incidence rate ratio (IRR) for incident long COVID, and separately long COVID primary care resource use, by vaccination status. Patients were followed up to a maximum of 9-months post index.

resultsA total of 35,713 patients who had completed primary series vaccination, and 75,522 unvaccinated patients were included. The weighted and adjusted IRR for long COVID among patients vaccinated with the primary series compared to being unvaccinated was 0.81 (95% CI: 0.77-0.86) in the overall cohort, 0.83 (95% CI: 0.78-0.88) in the immunocompetent cohort and 0.28 (95% CI: 0.13-0.58) in the immunocompromised cohort. Among those with long COVID, there was no association between the rate of primary care consultations and vaccination status in the overall and immunocompetent cohorts. Cost of primary care consultations was greater in the unvaccinated group than for those who completed primary series.

conclusionVaccination against COVID-19 may reduce the risk of long COVID in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. However, no association was found between frequency of primary care visits and vaccination among patients diagnosed in 2021. Future studies with larger sample size, higher vaccine uptake, and longer study periods during the pandemic are needed to further quantify the impact of vaccination on long COVID.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesPatient Acceptance of Health CarePrimary Health CareVaccinationAdolescentAdultAgedCohort StudiesEnglandFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2COVID-19 VaccinesCOVID-19ImmunocompetentImmunocompromisedLong COVIDPrimary careVaccination

Identifiers

PMID39948466
PMCPMC11827188

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.