Understanding Chronic Post Vaccination Syndrome
Understanding Chronic Post Vaccination Syndrome
Recently there has been an increase in reported complications following COVID-19 infections and COVID-19 vaccines. This article will explore the new potential phenomenon of chronic post vaccination syndrome while the January blog will explore long COVID symptoms.
According to the CDC the most common COVID-19 vaccine side effects following an injection are pain, swelling, arm redness, fatigue, headache muscle pain, chills, nausea and fever. Rare complications are anaphylactic shock (potential fatal allergic response), Guillain-Barre Syndrome (neurological problems), Myocarditis, Pericarditis and Thrombosis (blood clotting).
However, Yale researchers have identified a potential new phenomenon called Chronic Post Vaccination Syndrome. They evaluated 241 adults with a median age of 47 from May 2022 to July 2023 who completed the Yale Listen to Immune, Symptom and Treatment Experiences Now (LISTEN). The median time of adverse symptom onset was 3 days after vaccination (range 1 to 8 days). For many the symptoms lasted up to a year or more.
The five most common symptoms reported were exercise intolerance (71%), excessive fatigue (69%), numbness (63%), brain fog (63%) and neuropathy (63%). The median number of different treatments for symptoms was 20 (range 13 to 30). While this was a self-reported study and had a relatively low number of participants it does raise questions regarding the potential for long term problems following a COVID-19 vaccine injection. Cleary more research is needed to understand the significance of these findings.
Further, in the United States the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) was designed to determine if any harm occurred related to any vaccine. Before the pandemic there were on average 60,000 reports filed each year regarding vaccine injury but in 2021 that number rose to 660,000. It’s difficult to ascertain the relevance of this increase as the number of people vaccinated increased dramatically as well.
It is well known that most people do not complete VAERS reports following vaccine injuries. Some have reported that VAERS’ employees are understaffed and it’s a very complicated system to use when reporting a negative event. Honestly, I had a nasty reaction to a vaccine 12 years ago and it wasn’t on my radar to report it and I’m a nurse with a PhD.
Interestingly, another controversy arose regarding whether the technique for administering the vaccine may explain some of the longer-term harm that has been observed. Some who experienced serious vaccine injury complained of a metallic taste in their mouth seconds after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Members of the Danish Serum Institute postulate that perhaps the vaccine or Spike Protein was inadvertently carried directly into the heart via the venous system rather than remaining in the muscle as intended. They wondered if the lack of utilizing the aspiration technique may explain some of the myocarditis observed following a COVID-19 vaccine.
For many years, aspiration was the preferred method for safely administering any intramuscular (IM) injection. The needle was inserted into the muscle and then the plunger was pulled back to check for a blood return. If any blood was visible, it was assumed the needle was in a blood vessel. If the medication was injected it could become intravenous and spread throughout the body. The medical technician was to remove the needle, discard the entire vaccine and try again. If no blood was observed, it was assumed the needle was in the muscle and safe to inject the medication.
Although rare, it has been well documented that young men have been especially impacted by myocarditis from the COVID-19 vaccines. The theory is that the Spike Protein infects the heart muscle causing inflammation and perhaps leaves a scar. The damaged area interrupts the electrical current of the heart. If one exercises vigorously the disruption could lead to cardiac arrest.
The World Health Organization and the CDC do not recommend the aspiration technique which may increase pain during the injection. However, the Danish Serum Institute stated there is enough data to recommend the aspiration technique for all COVID-19 vaccines.
Finally, in the United Kingdom they are now recommending that unless you have a serious medical condition or vulnerability that healthy people under the age of 65 do not need the COVID-19 boosters. However, in the US the CDC recommends it for anyone over 6 months old.
Clearly more research is needed. You can help! if you suffered any vaccine injury…please report it to the VAERS program so they will have more data to evaluate the situation. You may call them at 1-800-822-7967 or email them at info@vaers.org. Their website is https://vaers.hhs.gov/
God bless you as you prayerfully make decisions regarding your health.
Merry Christmas to you all…
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
References:
“Getting Your COVID-19 Vaccine,” CDC, September 29, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect.html
“Selected Adverse Events Reported After COVID-19 Vaccinations, “ CDC, September 12, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html
Krumholz et al. Preprint “Post-vaccination Syndrome: A Descriptive Analysis of Reported Symptoms and Patient Experiences after COVID-19 Immunization.” MedRX Preprint, November 10, 2023. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.09.23298266v1.full.pdf
Vaccine Adverse Reporting Event System (VAERS), https://vaers.hhs.gov/
- Block, “Is the US Vaccine Reporting System Broken?” The BMJ, November 10, 2023. https://www.bmj.com/content/383/bmj.p2582
- Rzymski & A. Fal, “To Aspirate or Not to Aspirate? Considerations for the COVID-19 Vaccine,” Pharmacol. Rep. March 23, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8941363/
- Schnirring, “UK Releases Recommendations for Fall COVID-19 Boosters,” CIDRAP, August 8, 2023. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/uk-releases-recommendations-fall-covid-boosters
“Updated COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendations Are Now Available,” CDC, September 12, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/whats-new/covid-vaccine-recommendations-9-12-2023.html
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Author of
Wake Up Call 911: It’s Time to Reduce your Risk for a Heart Attack and Stroke (2015)
Helping the Hurting: Nursing Ministry in the Body of Christ (2022)
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