The review updated an earlier synthesis of observational studies on COVID-19 vaccination and long COVID, with searches to 13 July 2026. Analyses were restricted to adults and to vaccines centrally authorised in the European Union, pooling ten new studies alongside eight from the original review. The pooled odds ratio of long COVID four or more weeks after infection was 0.75 (95% CI 0.67-0.84) in vaccinated as compared to unvaccinated adults. Booster vaccination carried an odds ratio of 0.63 (95% CI 0.53-0.75) as compared to a primary course only. Lower odds were also seen in subgroups restricted to mRNA vaccines and to outcomes measured three or more months after infection. All of the included studies were observational, so differences between those who were and were not vaccinated may remain unaccounted for.
Why it is interesting: The pooled estimate is consistent with the earlier review, now extended across the Omicron era and with a separate figure for boosters.
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