London, United Kingdom (Enmaeya News) — COVID-19 vaccination is associated with a reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes, particularly in people who have previously had a COVID-19 infection, recent studies show. The findings highlight cardiovascular benefits of vaccination beyond its primary role in preventing severe illness.

A large study of nearly 46 million adults in England found that heart attack and stroke rates were lower after vaccination compared with rates before vaccination or among unvaccinated individuals.

The research, published in Nature Communications, showed the risk of these cardiovascular events fell by as much as 27%, with the greatest reductions seen after the second dose and booster shots.

Another study, published in the European Heart Journal, analyzed data from more than 20 million people in the UK, Spain, and Estonia.

Vaccinated individuals had a 55% lower risk of heart failure and a 47% reduced risk of blood clots in veins and arteries during the first month after infection. These protective effects lasted up to a year, underscoring the long-term cardiovascular benefits of vaccination.

Experts say the benefits may stem from the vaccine’s ability to reduce the severity of COVID-19 infections, which in turn lowers cardiovascular complications.

While rare side effects such as myocarditis and pericarditis have been reported, mostly in younger males after mRNA vaccines, the overall benefits of vaccination in preventing severe illness and related cardiovascular events outweigh these risks.

COVID-19 vaccination not only protects against severe illness but also significantly reduces cardiovascular risk, reinforcing its role as a key public health measure to prevent both infectious and heart-related diseases.