A new study by researchers at Stony Brook University shows that people who have had multiple COVID-19 infections or become seriously ill, or who were not vaccinated when they were first infected, are more likely to have long-term infections with the coronavirus. There is a high risk of developing the disease.
The study looked at 2,522 program participants who tested positive for COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2024, and determined that 475 had long-term COVID-19 infection. did. Of these, 403 people, or almost 85%, had multiple infections with the virus that causes coronavirus.
The study was conducted by researchers at Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine in collaboration with the Stony Brook World Trade Center Health and Wellness Program.
All participants in the study were considered essential workers, and most were first responders. The program treats and monitors people with health problems related to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The report said it “found significant associations” between the risk of long-term coronavirus infection, multiple reinfections, severity and vaccination status at the time of initial infection. reportpublished this month in The Lancet Regional Health-Americas.
The study said a “large proportion” of participants who were not vaccinated at the time of initial infection experienced prolonged COVID-19 infection.
Lead author and Professor Stony Brook Sean Clouston said researchers account for different conditions, but age and gender don’t really make a difference other than whether they contribute to the severity of the infection.
Professor Clouston, from the Renaissance School of Medicine’s Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine, said: “There were younger people who had more severe cases of Covid-19, which put them at higher risk of long-term Covid-19 infection. It was related to that.”
“It really wasn’t the time anymore, it was because of COVID-19.”
Prolonged COVID-19 infections, also known as acute sequelae, come with a variety of challenges. symptoms These can range from mental fog, loss or change in your sense of taste or smell, to wheezing, coughing, and chest pain.
People who continue to have symptoms or have new symptoms three months after being infected with COVID-19 classified Those who have been infected with the new coronavirus infection for a long time and whose symptoms continue for at least two months.
Experts say that although the number of deaths and severe cases from COVID-19 has declined compared to the early days of the pandemic, there are still many questions about the lingering effects of the disease. Continued research into the long-term novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is essential, as it is not fully understood.
“Long-term coronavirus is the current threat,” said Dr. Reynold A. Panettieri Jr., vice president of the Rutgers Translational Medical Sciences Institute, who was not involved in the study.
“Before that, it was death. People didn’t want to be in intensive care or put on a ventilator,” he says. “If you get infected now and get infected more often, you’re more likely to get COVID-19 for a longer period of time and have persistent symptoms.”
Dr. Benjamin Luft, an infectious disease expert and director of Stony Brook World, said that while coronavirus vaccines are important in reducing the number of people who become seriously ill or die from the disease, they cannot prevent infection. He said there was nothing he could do to stop it. Trade Center Health and Wellness program.
“For a long time, COVID-19 has been very debilitating and very harmful, so we really need something to be effective against it, whether it’s a vaccine or a treatment,” Luft said.
Although the overall number of people getting vaccinated against the coronavirus has decreased compared to when it first started, the rate of vaccination has declined, as some people have expressed dissatisfaction with the vaccine’s failure to prevent infection. In 2024, it increased compared to the previous year.
“Instead of saying, ‘We don’t have a vaccine,’ people should be asking for a better vaccine, one that prevents infection,” he said. “Developing next-generation vaccines requires new and better strategies.”
A new study by researchers at Stony Brook University shows that people who have had multiple COVID-19 infections or become seriously ill, or who were not vaccinated when they were first infected, are more likely to have long-term infections with the coronavirus. There is a high risk of developing the disease.
The study looked at 2,522 program participants who tested positive for COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2024, and determined that 475 had long-term COVID-19 infection. did. Of these, 403 people, or almost 85%, had multiple infections with the virus that causes coronavirus.
The study was conducted by researchers at Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine in collaboration with the Stony Brook World Trade Center Health and Wellness Program.
All participants in the study were considered essential workers, and most were first responders. The program treats and monitors people with health problems related to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The report said it “found significant associations” between the risk of long-term coronavirus infection, multiple reinfections, severity and vaccination status at the time of initial infection. reportpublished this month in The Lancet Regional Health-Americas.
The study said a “large proportion” of participants who were not vaccinated at the time of initial infection experienced prolonged COVID-19 infection.
Lead author and Professor Stony Brook Sean Clouston said researchers account for different conditions, but age and gender don’t really make a difference other than whether they contribute to the severity of the infection.
Professor Clouston, from the Renaissance School of Medicine’s Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine, said: “There were younger people who had more severe cases of Covid-19, which put them at higher risk of long-term Covid-19 infection. It was related to that.”
“It really wasn’t the time anymore, it was because of COVID-19.”
Prolonged COVID-19 infections, also known as acute sequelae, come with a variety of challenges. symptoms These can range from mental fog, loss or change in your sense of taste or smell, to wheezing, coughing, and chest pain.
People who continue to have symptoms or have new symptoms three months after being infected with COVID-19 classified Those who have been infected with the new coronavirus infection for a long time and whose symptoms continue for at least two months.
Experts say that although the number of deaths and severe cases from COVID-19 has declined compared to the early days of the pandemic, there are still many questions about the lingering effects of the disease. Continued research into the long-term novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is essential, as it is not fully understood.
“Long-term coronavirus is the current threat,” said Dr. Reynold A. Panettieri Jr., vice president of the Rutgers Translational Medical Sciences Institute, who was not involved in the study.
“Before that, it was death. People didn’t want to be in intensive care or put on a ventilator,” he says. “If you get infected now and get infected more often, you’re more likely to get COVID-19 for a longer period of time and have persistent symptoms.”
Dr. Benjamin Luft, an infectious disease expert and director of Stony Brook World, said that while coronavirus vaccines are important in reducing the number of people who become seriously ill or die from the disease, they cannot prevent infection. He said there was nothing he could do to stop it. Trade Center Health and Wellness program.
“For a long time, COVID-19 has been very debilitating and very harmful, so we really need something to be effective against it, whether it’s a vaccine or a treatment,” Luft said.
Although the overall number of people getting vaccinated against the coronavirus has decreased compared to when it first started, the rate of vaccination has declined, as some people have expressed dissatisfaction with the vaccine’s failure to prevent infection. In 2024, it increased compared to the previous year.
“Instead of saying, ‘We don’t have a vaccine,’ people should be asking for a better vaccine, one that prevents infection,” he said. “Developing next-generation vaccines requires new and better strategies.”
