Does the COVID-19 vaccine provide an easing of symptoms in virus ‘long-haulers?’ Here’s what the experts say

As more people get vaccinated, there's this curious benefit emerging for so-called COVID-19 long haulers who have been dealing with symptoms since contracting the virus, such as fatigue, shortness of breath and loss of taste or smell.

News 12 Staff

May 10, 2021, 3:28 PM

Updated 1,252 days ago

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News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen was joined this morning by Dr. Harlan Krumholz and Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, of the Yale School of Medicine, and Diana Berrent, the founder of Survivor Corps, to provide answers to your virus questions.
As more people get vaccinated, there's a curious benefit emerging for so-called COVID-19 long-haulers who have been dealing with symptoms since contracting the virus, such as fatigue, shortness of breath and loss of taste or smell. Their symptoms are easing and, in some cases, fully resolving after they get vaccinated.
In the absence of large studies, researchers are culling what information they can from patient stories, informal surveys and clinicians' experiences. For instance, about 40% of the 577 long COVID patients contacted by the group Survivor Corps say they felt better after getting vaccinated. Here’s what Berrent had to say:
What could the alleviation of symptoms teach us about COVID-19?
There are some theories as to why certain patients experience symptoms long after they contracted the virus. Dr. Krumholz breaks them down: