The Four Clinical Subtypes of Long Covid and Vaccine Effectiveness

Vaccines and monoclonal antibodies can reduce the risk of Long Covid by over 80%. This condition is divided into four distinct clinical subtypes, each associated with specific categories of at-risk patients. The Orchestra researchers, including members of the University of Bologna, conducted a comprehensive study on Long Covid and its previously unidentified clinical subtypes.

Launched in 2020 under the leadership of the Infectious Diseases Section of the University of Verona, the project received 30 million euros in EU Horizon 2020 funding. The initiative has achieved significant results in research on Long Covid, the long-term effects of coronavirus. Over four years of work, the study has involved scientists from 37 institutions across 14 countries, who recruited over 7,000 Covid-19 patients, ranging from mild to severe cases, from more than 50 European centres.

The University of Bologna joined the project with the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and the Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, working closely with the Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic and the Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna.

Led by Professor Pierluigi Viale, the multidisciplinary team included Professors Maddalena Giannella, Marco Seri, Valerio Carelli, Patrizia Brigidi, Paolo Boffetta, and Francesco Saverio. Their research focused on patient genomics, gut microbiota, occupational health, and resistance to therapies in vulnerable groups. They developed the Orchestra Data Portal, an open-access platform for global collaboration, and validated the effectiveness of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies while monitoring resistance in high-risk patients.

Scientists identified four distinct clinical subtypes of Long Covid and were able to accurately outline the characteristics of at-risk patients. The project also validated the effectiveness of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies in reducing the risks of Long Covid by over 80%, while monitoring potential resistance to these therapies, especially in vulnerable patients with haematological neoplastic diseases.

This intense collaboration has also resulted in the creation of the Orchestra Data Portal, an open-access resource for the international scientific community that brings together the findings and knowledge from all the participating centres.