Some former COVID-19 patients who still suffer from long-term health problems have reported that their symptoms have temporarily diminished after receiving the coronavirus vaccine, according to a UK report.
Anecdotal reports show that between 20 and 50 percent of patients believe their symptoms – which mainly include fatigue, headaches and brain fog – make post-vaccination easier, according to the Telegraph.
“We get people who report improvements and it’s quite common, about half of the people we ask for,” said Dr. David Strain, a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter.
Lou Barnes, who leads a 4,000-strong support group called Post Covid Syndrome, estimated that about 20 percent of members reported some improvement after being shot.
But many people said the improvements were temporary, lasting about three weeks, and others reported feeling worse for a short time, Barnes said.
Strain, who runs a long-term COVID clinic and is a member of a National Health Service task force with the condition, said the research was set up to analyze the reports.
“This gives a little hope to people who have been struggling with this for 12 months or more, just to feel better for a bit,” he told the newspaper.
“Also, as researchers, it tells us a lot of information: does this give us clues as to how we should treat it? We have to look very carefully, “said Strain.
The doctor also mentioned that “there is a major tendency to report”, because “people who notice something remarkable are the ones who shout about it”.
Like Strain, Professor Danny Altmann, an immunologist at Imperial College London, said he was also in the process of setting up research in the field.
“It’s very interesting because we still don’t have any clues about the long-term mechanisms of COVID and what needs to be done for patients, and also because a lot of sufferers are very anxious about their immune status,” Altmann said.
Professor Eleanor Riley, an immunologist at the University of Edinburgh, said the anecdotal reports were “interesting”, but warned not to take them as a fact before conducting research on the subject.
“I think it’s something that needs to be followed by scientific research,” Riley said. “I do not think we should be able to draw conclusions. It may turn out to be random. “