Getting a COVID-19 vaccination may have benefits beyond protecting people from just the coronavirus. New results from an ongoing study have found that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 may have a significant effect on reducing mental stress and anxiety levels.
The data comes from the 13-month Understanding Coronavirus in America Study on the effects of the pandemic conducted by the Center for Economic and Social Research at USC’s Dornsife College.
The survey collected responses from more than 8,000 people from December 2020 to March 2021 nationwide, and the answers gave researchers insight into the ental health status of people who were vaccinated compared to those who were unvaccinated. The results were published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE.
“The results imply a 15 percent reduction in the levels of severe mental distress after receiving the vaccine,” Francisco Perez-Arce, one of the authors of the study, told KNX.
According to Perez-Arce, the mental health benefits of vaccination could be even larger than what the study measured.
“We didn’t track changes in the mental health of study participants after their family, friends and others were vaccinated,” he said in a statement. “I think that’s likely to substantially increase the mental health value of vaccination campaigns.”
The authors posited that the reduction in stress could be the result of a combination of factors. For instance, if people who are recently vaccinated are less worried about becoming infected, they may socialize with more people or be willing to accept different work opportunities.
The benefits of reduced stress and anxiety are still being analyzed, and it is possible the research may be continued or adapted to collect data on the mental health of parents as more of their children become eligible for vaccination.
Los Angeles Unified School District is expected to announce a vaccination mandate for all eligible students 12 and older Thursday in an effort to curb outbreaks following the reopening of schools.
L.A. County has seen a slight decrease in COVID-19 outbreaks in non-school settings since Sept. 1. Of the outbreak investigations reported Wednesday, 65 percent were in residential settings, according to the county Department of Public Health. However, department Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer stressed that more residents should be getting vaccinated to deter another surge.
“While we are seeing decreases in new cases and hospitalizations, COVID-19 deaths have not declined and transmission remains high. Without a significant increase in the numbers of eligible residents vaccinated, there is a risk of case increases this fall and winter as COVID-19 is easily spread among those unvaccinated.”
Related
