Approximately 10-30% of people who get COVID-19 continue to experience a variety of symptoms, even months after their initial diagnosis. Fortunately, some COVID long-haulers are finding relief after getting a COVID-19 vaccine. In an NPR interview on March 30, Ari Shapiro, the host, and Will Stone, a health reporter, spoke with long-hauler Judy Dodd; Dr. Akiko Iwasaki of the Yale School of Medicine; Dr. Steven Deeks of the University of California, San Francisco; and Dr. Eric Topol of the Scripps Research Translational Institute about their experience with and investigation of long COVID.*

Judy Dodd’s experience as a long-hauler

Dodd developed COVID-19 in March 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic in New York City. Though her symptoms improved from the initial sickness, nearly a year later, she was still suffering from headaches, shortness of breath, and “crushing fatigue.” She said it felt as though she had aged 20 years. 

Dodd received her first dose of the vaccine in January, and for the next three weeks, she suffered from fever, dizziness, and exhaustion. Miserable and fearful because her symptoms seemed to be getting worse, Dodd consulted a cardiologist. “It was more than…a few days with a sore arm that people are talking about,” she said.

When it came time to receive her second vaccine dose, Dodd “felt like [she] was walking to the guillotine.” For a few days following her second dose, the headaches and fatigue were bad, but suddenly “it was like the sky had opened up,” Dodd said. “I was like a new person. It was the craziest thing ever.” 

Dodd’s energy returned, her breathing was easier, and even her sense of smell improved. At the time of the interview, a month after the second dose, Dodd was still experiencing these benefits, which seemed to reasonably come from the vaccine. Scientists are excited by this prospect.

Theories on why the vaccine may relieve long COVID symptoms

Other people with long COVID are also finding relief after vaccination, though it’s not clear how many have had this response. Dr. Iwasaki has been collecting blood samples from people with long COVID and is starting a study. “I really started getting excited,” she said, “because this might be a potential cure for some people.”

Scientists have several theories, Stone said, including that some with long COVID never fully clear the coronavirus out of their system, in which case the vaccine might boost their immune response against the virus. “That would be, actually, the very most straightforward way of getting rid of the disease,” said Dr. Iwasaki, “because you’re getting rid of the source of inflammation.”

Another theory is that long COVID is similar to an autoimmune disease, in which the body itself creates immune cells that do their damage. If that is the case, Dr. Iwasaki says, the vaccine might help relieve symptoms in the short term but not act as a true cure. 

What this could mean for other long-haulers

Dr. Deeks’ team suspects that long COVID is a combination of many syndromes, so different therapies are likely to work better for different people—and different versions of the syndrome. There is still much to learn, he said, and “all leads are precious.”

The vaccines themselves have not helped everyone with long COVID. Some feel worse, but it has helped others. The results may also help lead to the development of a cure for many more. “We have no treatment,” said Dr. Topol, “and the vaccine is the first real candidate.” 

*Stone, W. (2021, Mar. 30). Long-Haulers’ Are Finding Relief After Getting Their COVID-19 Vaccine. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/03/30/982805660/long-haulers-are-finding-relief-after-getting-their-covid-19-vaccine 

Much about the novel coronavirus, i.e., COVID-19, is still not fully understood. As research progresses and our knowledge of the virus increases, information can change rapidly. We strive to update all of our articles as quickly as possible, but there may occasionally be some lag between scientific developments and our revisions.