Vaccinated vs. unvaccinated: Coronavirus symptoms to note according to your vaccination status

Amid declining COVID-19 cases, experts continue to urge people to take necessary measures and prioritize vaccination.

Reports in the past have suggested that the vast majority of COVID-19 cases resulting in severe illness involve unvaccinated individuals. While fully vaccinated people also have the potential to contract the SARs-CoV-2 infection, the chances of serious complications and hospitalization are far lesser compared to the unvaccinated population.

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Although breakthrough infections have been prevalent, studies have shown that people who are fully vaccinated are more protected from severe illnesses and exhibit a better immune response against the virus as compared to those who are unvaccinated.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fully vaccinated adults aged 65 and older are 94% less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than people who are yet to receive their vaccines. Comparatively, those who are partially vaccinated are 64% less likely to be hospitalized.

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Additionally, a recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that unvaccinated people increase the risk of COVID-19 for vaccinated individuals even when COVID vaccination rates are high.

The findings were said to be important since it emphasizes on how the choices of a view to remain unvaccinated affects others in the community.

Many researchers have noted that symptoms of Covid-19 in fully vaccinated people may be milder and more manageable.

According to a study published in infectious disease and epidemiology journal, Eurosurveillance, 8 symptoms were most commonly reported in patients who were fully vaccinated. The symptoms include:

- Cough

- Runny nose

- Fatigue

- Sore throat

- Headache

- Muscle pain

- Fever

- Sneezing

The study further highlighted that symptoms such as cough, runny nose and fatigue were the most common, whereas sneezing and fever were least reported symptoms.

Experts believe COVID symptoms in unvaccinated individuals can be more severe.

As per a 2021 report by the University of Iowa healthcare system, 97 percent of the people with severe disease from the delta variant were unvaccinated.

“That gives you an idea of how effective these vaccines are. I think that number is a point that cannot be overemphasized," Claudia Corwin, MD, MPH, Associate Director of the University Employee Health Clinic says.

Although the new emerging variants have been mild so far, during the Delta wave across countries, symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, cough, shortness of breath were extremely common in unvaccinated individuals. Some even suffered from low oxygen levels in the body, leading to difficulty in breathing.

According to a recent review of studies by the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA), those who have been vaccinated tend to have more protection against long COVID as compared to people who are unvaccinated.

"It may not eradicate the symptoms of long COVID, but the protective effect seems to be very strong," says professor Michael Edelstein of Bar-Ilan University in Israel, whose study was one of those included in a recent analysis.

According to a report by Nature, vaccinations also reduce the incidence of long COVID by preventing infection in the first place. It also alters and minimizes the length of time a person feels sick during a breakthrough infection. Hence, reducing the risk of long COVID in fully vaccinated. However, experts are still studying the impact of COVID vaccines on long COVID and have not reached any final conclusion.