In mid-2023, the first step towards recognition of the Post Vaccination symptoms as a new phenomena was this article in Science News. https://www.science.org/content/article/rare-link-between-coronavirus-vaccines-and-long-covid-illness-starts-gain-acceptance Science News is a publication associated with the prestigous scientific journal Science. This article gave the condition the name “Long Vax” rather than Post Vax or Vaccine injured which are currently more common in the patient community. I rather like the “Long Vax” label as the symptoms are so similar to those of Long Covid. This article characterized it as “Rare” though, in truth, the frequency of Long Vax is unknown. I have some survey data that suggests about 15 percent of all long-haulers had their symptoms either start soon after vaccination (7%) or get worse soon after vaccination (8%). To me that suggests this is not rare at all, rather under-reported and not yet recognized by the medical profession.
A comparison based on 55 common symptoms. My analysis suggests that based on the pattern of symptoms they may be the same condition. Statistical significance has yet to be calculated.
Informal data and hypothesis by Thomas Bunker Ph.D.
Average Symptom Severity Scores for those with Long COVID vs Post Vax
The average Symptom Severity Scores are very similar for those with Long Covid (49.7) versus those that reported themselves Vaccine Injured (50.0).
Per my Long Covid / Vaccine Injured symptom survey, respondents rated the severity of 25 of the most common Long Covid symptoms on a 0 to 4 scale. 0 = None, 2= Moderate, 4 = Severe. An additional 30 less common symptoms were captured via checkboxes. For each checkbox symptom one point was added to the symptom severity score. For example, if someone had moderate scores for all 25 symptoms plus 5 additional symptoms, then their total score would be 55. 25 x 2 = 50, plus 5 additional symptoms = 55. Analysis of data collected in May thru Aug of 2022 from 508 respondents. 147 with self-reported Vaccine Injury. 361 with either self-reported or diagnosed Long Covid.
The frequencies of patient-reported Long Covid symptoms are strikingly similar between the Long Covid group and the Long Vax / Post Vax group.
The frequency of “Pins and Needles Sensation had the biggest discrepancy as that occurs in 74% of the Post Vaxers vs 65% of those with Long Covid. “Nerve Pain” was reported 7% more often in the Post Vax group compared to the Long Covid group. Depression and Anxiety were also slightly more prevalent in the Post Vax Group. Meanwhile, “Shortness of Breath”, “Leg Weakness”, “Head Pressure” and “Sensitivity to Loud Noises” were somewhat more prevalent in Long-haulers than in Post Vaxers. However, taken altogether, the similarity in the symptom frequencies between the two groups is quite striking.
Note that Females with Long Covid have more symptoms and more severe symptoms on average than Males. Median Symptom Scores are 53 for Females and 37.5 for Males. That means that the median scores are 41% worse in Female respondents. In ‘Vaccine Injured’, again Females have a higher median Symptom Scores than Males but the differential is less. Median Symptom Scores are 51 for Females and 42.5 for Males. Curiously, ‘Vaccine Injured’ Males have about a 13% higher median symptom severity than Long Covid Males. Females are 2.6 times more likely to develop Long Covid / Vaccine Injury symptoms. And when then do, they average a 41% worse severity of symptoms. Overall, the burden of Long Covid quantified in this manner falls 3.6 times heavier on Females then on Males.
The median number of additional symptoms are similar between the two groups.
The range of Symptom Severity Scores is essentially the same for both groups. And the overall distribution of symptom severities are similar. As mentioned above, the median symptom severities are also very similar in the Vaccine Injured (49) compared to those with Long Covid (47). Both groups average a symptom severity of 50. The figure below compares the severity of four common symptoms between the two groups.
The average Symptom Severities for each of the 25 most common long covid symptoms are very similar between those with Long Covid and the Post Vaxers. Fatigue and Post Exertional Malaise tend to be slightly more severe in those with Long Covid. The symptoms scores that reflect brain function tend to be slightly higher (worse) in those with Long Covid. Namely, these are Memory Issues, Difficulty Concentrating and Brain Fog. Meanwhile, with Long Vax tended to have slighty worse nerve related symptoms such as ‘Pins and Needles Sensation’ and ‘Nerve Pain’. Some of the symptoms such as ‘Heart Palpitations’ and ‘Hot or Cold hands and feet’ also tend to be worse in the Post Vaxers. Quite a number of these symptoms are typical Dysautonomia symptoms and may reflect impaired Vagus nerve function.
The various Covid-19 vaccines were introduced about a year into the pandemic. Thus, on average, the Vaccine Injured have not been dealing with their symptoms as long as those with Long Covid. Segmented by the duration of symptoms, Vaccine Injured median symptom severities had a higher slightly higher median severity in the 7 – 12 month duration group. For those with Long Covid, the median symptom severity for those with a duration of over 2 years is 58. That is a 27% increase over the 1-6 months symptom severity. Of course, this may reflect some sort of sample bias or other difference between the groups. Certainly those that were fortunate enough to recover are unlikely to take the survey. Also the predominant strains of SARS-CoV-2 have changed about every 6 months. Still, the overall upward trend is quite concerning as most long haulers know others that appear to be getting worse as the months and years pass.
Tom’s Theory of Post Vaccination Symptoms
Of course the comparisons above do not prove anything. They do, however, indicate that the pattern of symptoms experienced by those with Long Covid (aka PASC) is nearly identical to the pattern of symptoms reported by the self-described ‘Vaccine Injured’ or Post Vaxers. The average symptom severity scores are identical between the Long Covid and Post Vax groups at 50. Females constitute almost three-fourths of the members of both groups. Further, in both groups, Females have a higher median symptom severity score compared to Males. Finally, the symptom by symptom average severity scores are quite similar for all 25 symptoms measured. To me, these things together strongly imply that the root cause of the symptoms experienced by those with Long Covid and Long Vax is the same.
What might be the root cause of such a diverse set of symptoms? There are a number of theories including autoimmunity, aberrant immune responses, and peristent SARS-CoV-2 virus and viral debris (such as persistent Spike protein). In my opinion, persistent low-level SARS-CoV-2 viral infection is the leading candidate. From the Chertow et al NIH Autopsy Study (preprint Dec 2021 https://assets.researchsquare.com/files/rs-1139035/v1_covered.pdf?c=1640020576) it is clear that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is able to infect many cell types in many organs and systems in the human body outside of the lungs. Variabililty in which tissues and organs have persistent virus could explain the variablilty of symptoms seen between individual Long Haulers. See the excellent summary of the key findings by Daniel Chertow MD in the video linked below. https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=45296?jwsource=cl&fbclid=IwAR123KQay6edAc8TQLn2YFFAYORm5aq1EOr5q2xH5xcDTLLgbdcgAdHXtz8
Viral persistence as a direct cause of Long Covid symptoms is strongly supported by the 2023 report that closely associated the symptom “Loss of taste/altered taste” with SARS-CoV-2 persistence in the taste buds of the tongue. 16 of 16 patients with this symptom had viral proteins (Nucleocapsid and Spike) as well a viral RNA replication intermediate present in multiple cell types of the papillae (aka taste buds) of the tongue. Infection caused obvious abnormalities in the cellular structure of the taste buds and likely in the function of the taste buds as well. When patients’ taste returned to normal, subsequent biopsies showed that the virus was no longer present. The temporal and spatial association of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection in the taste buds likely explains the patients “Loss of taste/altered taste”. Further, cytoxic T cells and immune signalling molecules were elevated within the infected taste buds. https://evidence.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/EVIDoa2300046
Individuals likely vary in their ability to effectively clear SARS-CoV-2 viral infections. This natural variation may explain why only roughly 10% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop Long Covid. Now, consider that 30% to 35% of all Covid-19 cases are very mild or asymptomatic. People with an asymptomatic case naturally assume that their body has cleared the virus. However, it is known that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is unusually good at altering the cells it infects to suppress innate immunity and immune surveillance. It produces several viral proteins that alter or block the major cellular degradative pathways. The proper functioning of these pathways is key to effective immune surveillance. It also has a number of other “tricks” to avoid generating Type I Interferon “alarms” and thus can avoid activating innate and adaptive immunity. Consider this virus as a group of pirates that “hijack” and take control of infected cells. When successful, the virus then controls cell metabolism and turns off Interferon signaling and other pathways that would signal the presence of a viral pathogen. See William A Haseltine’s excellent timely overview of how 16 of the 30 SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins actively block or interfere with Interferon signalling and initiation of Innate Immunity. His ebook “Natural Immunity and Covid19” is like a textbook on the biology of SARS-CoV-2. https://www.williamhaseltine.com/naturalimmunity/
New research in Oct of 2024, has found the 50% of those that have one or more Long COVID symptom have low levels of viral proteins (spike or nucleocapsid) in their blood at low levels. Amazingly, 20% of those without symptoms also had detectabable viral proteins which implies viral persistence or at least persistent viral proteins. https://www.clinicalmicrobiologyandinfection.com/article/S1198-743X(24)00432-4/abstract
What happens to an asymptomatic person with a “hidden or quiesent” low-level viral infection when they get vaccinated – by any vaccine? Their innate immunity and their adaptive immune system is likely activated to fight the viral infection. The host immune system may start fighting the low-level viral infection in a variety of cells and tissues and organs. Suddenly, that person develops Long Covid symptoms. Why? Because they already had a persistent SARS-CoV-2 viral infection. Of course, since this is a new disease and much about the disease progression and pathology is unknown, many people naturally assume that they are ‘Vaccine Injured’. This belief is reinforced on social media where thousands have banded together for support after dismissal by various members of the medical community.
To summarize, Covid-19 vaccination may make a pre-existing low-level persistent viral infection “visible” to the immune system. Basically, the traditional adjuvant or the foreign mRNA in the jabs activates innate immunity in a varied of cell types which then triggers adaptive immune responses. Besides generating T and B cells that recognize the viral spike protein. The body also generates Cytotoxic T cells and Natural Killer cells to fight the viral infection and a host of Long Covid symptoms develop. However, the viral tricks to suppress innate immunity are still in place, making it difficult to clear all the virus. Thus, I believe that most Post Vaxers and those with Long Covid are dealing with the same disease. Certainly, both groups are Long Haulers; suffering a bewildering set of often disabling symptoms.
As the medical profession has not yet acknowledged the Post Vaccination phenomenon, I highly doubt that I can publish my results in a scientific journal. As yet, there is no proof of my theory. Detection of low levels of persistent virus is technically a difficult task in living, breathing people. Until there is solid evidence of persistent viral infection in both those with Long Covid and the Vaccine Injured, this will remain just a theory. In any case, effective treatments for both groups of “Long Haulers” are urgently needed. I predict that the same things that help those with Long Covid will also help the Vaccine Injured. Conversely, what makes those with Long Covid worse, will also make the Vaccine Injured worse.
Sincerely,
Thomas Bunker
PhD in Immunology, currently unaffiliated
Version 1.3 July 13, 2023
Version 1.2 Sept 13, 2022
P.S. If you wish to quantify your Long Haul symptoms and add to my data set, my “Score my Long Covid / Long Vax Symptoms” survey is available via the link below. It does ask for your e-mail address but I remove that as soon as I download the Google Forms data for analysis. Have a calculator handy as you will need to sum your symptom severities to determine your overall score.
