Covid jabs ‘lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes’ in those infected with bug

Those who catch Covid while being bitten are less likely to have fatal heart problems than those who are not vaccinated, a study claims.

US researchers have found that the vaccine protects high-risk individuals from heart attacks and strokes in the months following infection.

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Experts have long feared the virus could cause heart problems. Studies show that it can cause the body’s immune system to attack healthy cells in the muscle.

Patients with severe Covid are also getting less oxygen into their bloodstream, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood around the body and risking heart failure.

The latest study found that even those who only received one vaccination were less likely to have heart problems than those who chose not to have one.

While the authors could not explain why vaccination reduced the risk of heart disease, they said the study “supports evidence that vaccination can have beneficial effects on a variety of post-Covid-19 complications.”

“We hope that our findings can help improve vaccination rates, particularly in people with co-existing conditions,” they added.

It comes as Covid-19 levels are rising in most parts of the UK.

And just last week the government stopped offering booster shots to millions of Brits.

The experts tracked the heart health of nearly 2 million people – of whom 217,843 had received at least one Covid vaccination.

The paper was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Latest data shows Covid infections are rising in most parts of the UK, the latest sign a new wave of the virus may be underway.

Infections rose by a fifth to 1.2 million on any day of the week through February 7, according to the Office for National Statistics.

It is the second week in a row that the UK total has risen, following a steady decline in levels in January.

And while immunity to vaccines and natural infections mean fewer people are suffering from severe Covid, hospital admissions passed the 900 mark on February 13 and are still rising.