Less Than Half of COVID-19 Cases After Second Vaccine Dose Experience Myocardial Infarction or Stroke (Update)

Joint Research by Authorities and Private Medical Staff

On the 25th, when the 4th COVID-19 booster vaccination for those aged 60 and over who made advance reservations began, a citizen is receiving the vaccine at Bumin Hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. April 25, 2022 Photo by Joint Press Corps (Portrait rights consent obtained)

An analysis has shown that individuals who received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine have more than half the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction or cerebral infarction after infection compared to unvaccinated individuals.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and the National Health Insurance Service announced on the 26th that the results of a public-private joint research using big data titled "Analysis of the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Occurrence After COVID-19 Infection According to COVID-19 Vaccination" were published online on the 22nd in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The research team analyzed the incidence rate of acute myocardial infarction after diagnosis among over 230,000 adults infected with COVID-19 in South Korea from July 2020 to December of last year. The group that received the second vaccination dose showed a 52% lower risk of acute myocardial infarction after COVID-19 infection compared to the unvaccinated group (95% confidence, confidence interval 6?75%).

Additionally, the risk of ischemic cerebral infarction was 60% lower (95% confidence, confidence interval 37?74%).

The study involved Dr. Kim Young-eun from the Big Data Strategy Headquarters of the National Health Insurance Service, Professor Jung Jae-hoon from the Department of Preventive Medicine at Gachon University, and Professor Heo Kyung-min from the Department of Infectious Diseases at Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University.

The researchers adjusted the risk according to major variables such as gender, age, underlying diseases, past infection history, and severity to produce this analysis. Among the confirmed cases studied, the unvaccinated group was younger and had a lower prevalence of underlying diseases compared to the group that received the second vaccination dose.

The KDCA explained, "Through this study, we confirmed at a national scale using large data that COVID-19 vaccination not only prevents COVID-19 infection and severe illness but also reduces the risk of complications after infection. It is meaningful that these results have been academically recognized through a prestigious international journal."

Director Baek Kyung-ran of the KDCA emphasized, "Through the ongoing 'COVID-19 Big Data Open' project in collaboration with private academic institutions, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of vaccination and established reliable evidence for its necessity. We urge everyone to receive the primary and additional vaccinations according to the recommended guidelines." Director Baek also added, "We plan to actively utilize the results of the 11 ongoing public-private joint studies to establish evidence-based quarantine policies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.