COVID-19 vaccines were found to cut the risk of heart failure by up to 55% and blood clots by up to 78% following COVID infection, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal.
The positive health effects lasted for up to a year and were more pronounced right after getting vaccinated.
“While there has been concern about the risk of myocarditis and other thromboembolic events following vaccination, this analysis highlights that the risk of such complications is notably higher when it comes from the SARS-CoV-2 infection itself,” said Dr. John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News Medical contributor.
Researchers looked at over 20 million people in Europe; half of them were vaccinated against the virus, and half were not. Vaccines included in the research were Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
During the period of study, researchers looked at the original strain of the virus and the Delta variant.
COVID vaccines reduced the risk of blood clots in the veins by 78% within a month of obtaining the dose, according to the researchers’ findings. It also reduced the risk of blood clots in the arteries by 47% and heart failure by 55%, the study found.
