COVID vaccine protection

In India, the Kangra Fort, first attacked in 470 A.D., has withstood 52 assaults over the centuries. Now, there’s resilience we could all aspire to.

Well, one way to achieve that is by getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Turns out that if you are vaccinated and then have a breakthrough case of the virus, you can withstand an assault not just from the virus (you’re very likely to have mild symptoms, stay out of the hospital — and certainly not die), but down the road you are also protected from new onset of mental disorders, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. That’s Kangra-worthy endurance!

A study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases looked at the medical records of more than 1.5 million who had contracted COVID-19. They found that for each group of 1,000 people, around seven folks who had been vaccinated developed heart disease in the 90 days following their infection, while more than 20 of the unvaccinated folks did. For mental disorders: Around six vaccinated folks and more than 25 unvaccinated reported symptoms within 90 days. And the incidence of diabetes was around three and half times greater for unvaccinated than vaccinated people. In addition, the vaccinated people dodged long COVID-19 symptoms and slashed their risk of death.

With the announcement in mid-May that we have hit the horrifying milestone of 1 million COVID-19 deaths in this country, I hope that moving forward, all people who are qualified (by age and medical health) get the vaccine and get boosted — I have.

Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is “The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow.” Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email questions@ GreatAgeReboot.com.