New long COVID study reinforces the importance of vaccination

This week, two presidential candidates promoted vaccine myths, adult chickenpox went viral, and school vaccines drew ire in the South.

Over the last week, online conversations focused on a new study and viral video that highlight the importance of vaccination, while high-profile political figures continued to advance anti-vaccine narratives. A large-scale study confirmed past research showing that vaccination significantly reduces the risk of developing long COVID. Social media users promoted the study as further evidence in support of COVID-19 vaccination. Meanwhile, two presidential candidates falsely claimed that childhood vaccines are unsafe and unnecessary, just as a widely circulated video highlights the real-world dangers of skipping routine vaccines.

Regionally, school immunizations, measles outbreaks, and HPV and COVID-19 vaccine safety dominated online conversations.

---

What’s trending nationally in vaccine conversation:

A July 17 study found unvaccinated people had long COVID at twice the rates of vaccinated people. The large study of nearly 450,000 people found that long COVID rates from pre-Delta, Delta, and Omicron infections in unvaccinated people ranged from 7.8 percent to 10.4 percent, while the rate among vaccinated people ranged from 3.5 percent to 5.3 percent. Social media users shared the story with messages to counter the false narratives that COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective and that long COVID is fake or a vaccine injury. Many also highlighted that the vaccines do not provide complete protection and that other precautions, such as masking, may help reduce the risk of infection and of spreading COVID-19 to others. 

On July 17, a now-deleted recording of former President Donald Trump speaking to the independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was leaked and shared widely. The conversation included the promotion of false claims about vaccine safety. Kennedy has long questioned the safety and necessity of childhood vaccines, including promoting the debunked myth that vaccines cause autism, a sentiment echoed by the former president. The recording is trending in English and Spanish posts, with some criticizing Kennedy for the recording and others supporting an alliance between the two men. 

In a series of videos with millions of views, a young woman shared her story of contracting chickenpox as an adult while promoting a host of false claims about the disease and vaccines to protect against it. The woman and several commenters state that they didn’t know that chickenpox still existed and didn’t realize that the disease is more serious than just “itchy red dots.” In one video, the woman claims that having chickenpox means she is unlikely to get shingles later in life when the opposite is true. She also falsely claims that “you don't get chickenpox by not getting vaccinated, you get it by being exposed to the virus” or from someone who recently got the chickenpox vaccine. In reality, the risk of the weakened virus in the vaccine spreading is about five in 55 million. Although some responses attempted to correct the false claims in the videos, many appear to agree with them. The video is part of a larger trend of people sharing stories of adult chickenpox, with many expressing that they didn’t realize how severe the disease can be. 

Read the fact checks: 

• Scientific American: Vaccination Dramatically Lowers Long COVID Risk
• AAP: Vaccine Safety: Examine the Evidence
• Everyday Health: Chickenpox in Adults: Risk Factors, Symptoms, Complications, Treatment

---

What’s happening in the Northeast:

On July 18, Massachusetts reported its first measles case since 2020 in Worcester County. Officials are urging residents to ensure that they and their children are up to date on their vaccinations, emphasizing that measles is highly contagious and that people without immunity from vaccination or infection are at very high risk of contracting the disease after exposure. Responses to local news coverage of the case are heavily politicized, with many posts blaming “open borders”  and promoting false claims about vaccines.

What’s happening in the South:

Back-to-school vaccination campaigns are sparking online conversation across the South. As health departments and school districts promoted the events to local media and on social media, many commenters supported the vaccination efforts and encouraged others to vaccinate their children to protect them from preventable diseases. Other social media users repeated false claims about vaccine safety, promoted the debunked myths that vaccines cause autism and chronic health issues, and encouraged homeschooling and religious vaccine exemptions to avoid school immunizations.

What’s happening in the Midwest:

A social media user in a Cleveland-based group posted about mandatory polio vaccinations in the city in the 1960s, noting that people didn’t oppose it like they do COVID-19 vaccines. Many posts agreed with him, stating that people were thankful to get the polio vaccine, unlike the “Covid vaccine fiasco.” Several responses argued that polio was a more legitimate threat than COVID-19. One post claimed that “covid was a hoax, polio was not,” and another declared that “polio was a real disease, not a drug company profit scheme.”

What’s happening in the West:

On July 18, a law firm representing people who believe the Gardasil HPV vaccine injured them announced the first California state trial date set for October 2024. The law firm highlights “ovarian failure” leading to infertility as an alleged vaccine side effect and accuses Merck of “deceptive research” and “highly misleading marketing.” Social media users are promoting the lawsuit in response to positive coverage of HPV vaccines. For example, when a social media user encouraged HPV vaccination to reduce cervical cancer risk, another user claimed, “The lawsuits say otherwise.” Studies show no link between Gardasil and infertility or other reproductive issues. HPV vaccines prevent 90 percent of HPV cancers, and serious side effects are extremely rare.

---

Talking points for Health Care Providers

Each week the Infodemiology.com team will provide talking points and supporting messages in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. Health care providers can use this messaging when discussing vaccines online, talking to patients, or engaging with communities. 

Long COVID is a real condition affecting millions worldwide. Vaccination cuts your risk in half.

• Long COVID is a chronic condition in which symptoms last for more than four weeks after a COVID-19 infection. Around one in 10 people who get infected with COVID-19 will also have long COVID. 
• Extensive research since 2021 has consistently shown that COVID-19 vaccination reduces long COVID risk. A recent study of over 450,000 people found that unvaccinated people have twice the risk of long COVID than vaccinated people.
• Some vaccine opponents falsely claim that long COVID isn’t real or that it is caused by vaccines. There is no evidence to support either of those claims. In fact, one of the best ways to protect yourself from long COVID is to get vaccinated. 

Routine vaccines are safe and so effective that some have forgotten how deadly the diseases they protect against are.

• Childhood vaccines go through rigorous safety testing before approval and are subject to independent safety monitoring for as long as they are on the market. Decades of research in millions of children show that routine childhood vaccines are safe and that serious side effects are extremely rare. 
• There is no evidence of a link between autism and any vaccine. Vaccinated and unvaccinated children are diagnosed with autism at the same rates. Research claiming that vaccines cause autism has long been discredited and retracted. 
• Routine vaccines prevent and reduce the severity of diseases that once devastated communities. Millions of people are alive and healthy today because of vaccines. 
• As recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases show, drops in routine immunization pose a real threat to those who are un- or under vaccinated, including infants and those who can’t be safely vaccinated.

Chickenpox is a potentially serious disease—and it’s even worse for adults. Vaccines are the best protection.

• Chickenpox is not only a childhood disease—unvaccinated adults are also at risk for the disease. Anyone with chickenpox can develop serious complications like pneumonia and brain inflammation, and these complications are more common in adults. One in 400 adults who get chickenpox develops pneumonia. 
• The vaccine provides lifetime protection and is 90 percent effective against chickenpox infection and 100 percent effective against severe illness. It also reduces the risk of developing shingles later in life. If exposed, unvaccinated people have a 90 percent chance of contracting chickenpox.
• The chickenpox vaccine is very safe, and serious side effects are extremely rare. Some people may experience mild side effects after vaccination, such as pain at the injection site and a low fever.

Interested in recommendations tailored to public health professionals? Click here.