Adly, Heba M.Saleh, Saleh A. K.Garout, Mohammed A.Abdulkhaliq, Altaf A.Khafagy, Abdullah A.Saati, Abdullah A.AlJahdali, Imad A.Alandiyjany, Maher N.Al‑Tawfiq, Jaffar A.2024-05-142024-05-142023Adly HM, Saleh SAK, Garout MA, et al. Post COVID-19 Symptoms Among Infected Vaccinated Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia. J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2023;13(4):740-750. doi:10.1007/s44197-023-00146-9https://hdl.handle.net/1805/40738Introduction: Multiple studies investigated the endurance and occurrence of symptoms three months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study examines the possible effects of COVID-19 vaccination on the persistence of post-recovery symptoms. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia to evaluate 14 prevalent long COVID-19 symptoms among vaccinated individuals. Patients self-reported their acute COVID-19 experience, demographic information, chronic conditions, vaccine history, and persistent symptoms. Results: Of the 484 patients, four respondents were excluded from the study as they had not received the vaccine, and 111 (23.1%) were vaccinated but did not get infected and were also excluded. The remaining 369 (76.9%) reported COVID-19 and a vaccination and thus they were included in the study. The occurrence of post-COVID-19 symptoms was reported in 59 (16.1%) for ≤ 3 months, 202 (54.8%) experienced persistent symptoms 3-6 months, and 108 (29.1%) reported symptoms lasting > 6 months. In relation to age group, persistent symptoms 3-6 months after recovery was more common in those > 50 years and symptoms lasting > 6 months were more common in 30-50 years of age (p < 0.001). Persistence of symptoms for 3-6 months was more common in those who were infected prior to vaccination compared to those who were infected after vaccination (P < 0.001). Of the included patients, 323 (87.5%) rated their health as good, 41 (11.1%) considered it fair, and 5 (1.4%) described their well-being as poor or terrible. Conclusion: The study provides information of persistent symptoms in vaccinated individuals who had recovered from COVID-19 and highlights the need for targeted interventions to alleviate post-COVID-19 symptoms. The study is limited by its reliance on self-reported data and potential selection bias. Future research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying persistent symptoms in vaccinated individuals and to identify effective interventions for long COVID.en-USAttribution 4.0 InternationalCOVID-19CoronavirusInfectionPandemicPost recoverySARS-CoV-2Saudi ArabiaSymptomsArticle