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A recent Washington Post Article entitled “New study suggests covid increases risks of brain disorders” via Yahoo News talks about an elevated risk of brain disorder two years after one getting sick with COVID. The study, originally published in the Lancet Psychiatry, showed increased risks of some brain disorders two years after infection with the coronavirus, shedding new light on the long-term neurological and psychiatric aspects of the virus.
The analysis, conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford, found that, while the risks of many common psychiatric disorders returned to normal within a couple of months, people remained at increased risk for dementia, epilepsy, psychosis, and cognitive deficit (or brain fog) two years after contracting covid. Adults appeared to be at particular risk of lasting brain fog, which is a fairly common complaint among coronavirus survivors.
This led to a reader question regarding how the vaccine might induce similar side-effects. I responded to that question, which led to an interesting discussion thread:
Original Reader Question and My Response
Reader Question (edited): Since they are now finding this out and seeing these long term effects, that poses the question regarding the vaccine: Since it mimics the virus thru mRNA in order to create a response from the body, can/does/will the vaccine also produce like side effects? What about those who have been vaccinated and booster and still got covid – are they at the same risk level??? A lot of unanswered questions at the moment.
My Response (edited): I’m not a doctor, but I see far less risk of a vaccine inducing long COVID, simply because all the vaccine does is teach and stimulate the immune system to fight COVID. The mRNA causes our bodies to produce the spike protein for only a short time; this is what activates our immune systems. And, unlike having the actual virus, the vaccine stimulates the immune system in a very controlled way, maybe enough to make us sick for a day or two but not enough to cause the significant damage that a cytokine storm (induced by a full-fledged COVID infection) would. Meanwhile, I believe the question regarding the long-COVID risk of a vaccinated person contracting COVID is a good one. My gut tells me the vaccine could only help, but we don’t to what extent.
Reader #2 Input to My Response
Reader #2 (edited): Newer forms of Omicron cause breakthrough infections because they have greater transmissivity. What I cannot understand is why people cannot make this connection: if you go to a hospital or doctor’s office, a mask is still required. Don’t you think there is a reason why medical experts still put them on and need the patients to do the same? The virus is out there. Even if you don’t get all that sick, why challenge your immune system and risk long covid which does exist and makes it possible for your health to never be what it once was. I will wear my mask because I don’t want COVID, period. Even if the risk is low, it is still there. Vaccine, mask, corticosteroids to deal with aftereffects of the shots if necessary and no more COVID if everyone participates, particularly kids who should be vaccinated. If they don’t get it, they can’t spread it to the party crowd.
My Response: Great observation about masks at the doctor’s office. If they believed the virus wasn’t still a problem (i.e., one to be managed, not one to control our lives as COVID was early in the pandemic), then they wouldn’t have everyone wearing a mask and be running their HEPA filters in all their little exam rooms. I also share your view that, although there is not yet a silver bullet, taking reasonable precautions like getting vaccinated and wearing masks indoors when case rates are high have a combined effect that significantly reduces our risk of contracting COVID or becoming severely ill with it.
This leads to another favorite soap box: People need to stop making it all out to be more than it really is. Some like to fear monger with statements like “COVID is going to be with us forever…” while others make it sound like getting a vaccine or putting on a mask is going to forever ruin your life. My take: COVID might actually be with us “forever”, like Polio, Measles, Tetanus, etc. However, it won’t be any harder to manage than these other diseases, and I believe we’re already approaching that point. Then there are the conspiracy theorists, who I believe watch too much Sci-fi and therefore live in their own world of “make believe”. Meanwhile, false information abounds on the social media.
Reader #3 Input to My Initial Response
Reader #3 (edited): Rep. Massie just pointed out on his Twitter that the CDC website removed in July the claim that the mRNA/spike only stays in the body for a short time. From my experience with the “vax” this was not the case. My immune system caused a lot of damage for months trying to clear out that spike. Oh, and a medicine should not be called a vaccine if it does not prevent you from getting the virus at all.
My Response (edited): First off, I am sorry to hear about your experience with the vaccine. I sincerely hope that all of that is behind you now, or soon will be. My family and I are fully vaxed/boosted, and those of us over 50 are double-boosted. None of us have had any reaction that lasted beyond just 2-4 days. However, I do know that, as with other vaccines, our bodies often respond differently to the same vaccine.
Funny thing: I just had the Shingles vaccine (Shingrix) regimen, and the 2nd dose threw me for a loop. However, it was no worse than the flu and it lasted for only about a day and a half. After that, I felt great, like nothing had happened at all. Yet, I had almost no reaction at all to the COVID vaccines, especially the boosts. So, again, we’re all different.
Meanwhile, I don’t believe any vaccine would make the cut based on “if it does not prevent you from getting the virus at all”, as there are always escapes, even with the very best of vaccines. This thinking is understandable because our immune systems are very complex and different vaccines interact with our immune systems in different ways. My blog site (DruryJournal) has a page “Understanding the Coronavirus Vaccine” that might help one understand why the vaccine can prevent severe infection yet not prevent infection altogether.
Reader #4 Input to My Initial Response
Reader #4 (edited): You didn’t address the original question, which never suggested that the vaccine induces “long COVID”. Her issue is with side effects of the vaccine itself, and anyone who keeps up with recent events knows the mRNA vaccines have a TERRIBLE safety record.
My Response (edited): Terrible safety record? What in the world gave you that idea? I don’t know of any vaccine that has had so much scrutiny nor has produced as much real-world data as the mRNA coronavirus vaccines. With a few rare exceptions, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines produce no serious/lasting side-effects. However, I can’t speak about earlier generation mRNA vaccines prior to COVID.
Case in point: My multigenerational family (my 6-year-old son up to my 88-year-old father-in-law) and I all have had the mRNA vaccines/boosts, and we’re all feeling great. It has been at least two years since the last of us had the original regimen. Two of us had the J&J (a Viral Vector vaccine, not mRNA) only because that was the first available when we became eligible in March of 2020. A few contracted COVID despite the vaccine, but all cases were very mild, not even as bad as the flu. And a few had mild flu like symptoms for a couple days after the shot, but that was it. There are over 20 of us in total.
I believe I did answer the original question, which asked “…can/does/will the vaccine also produce like side effects?…” I believe the phrase “like side effects” IS asking if the vaccine induces these long COVID symptoms.
(Originator of initial question), please let me know if I didn’t answer your question or misinterpreted what you were asking, as I thought I addressed everything that you were asking. However, none of us have all the answers. If it is true that I DID misinterpret your question, then please accept my apologies and let me know what I didn’t properly address.
Conclusions/Key Take-Aways
Based on the information I have privy to, I see no reason to believe the mRNA (Pfizer/Moderna) nor the Vector Viral (J&J/Novavax) has any significant likelihood of inducing long COVID symptoms, unlike the virus itself. Multiple medical studies conclude that the mRNA remains in our blood for a short period of time – just long enough to induce our bodies to produce a controlled amount of the spike protein. These same studies also emphasize that this mRNA is safely extracted/removed from our bodies and that it does not alter our DNA in any way.
So, rest assured, as I believe there is a miniscule risk – if any risk at all – of a corona virus vaccine inducing any long COVID symptoms/side effects.
For further information regarding how the coronavirus vaccine works, what it does, and what it doesn’t do, please see my article “Understanding the Coronavirus Vaccine”.
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[…] Could the Coronavirus Vaccine Cause Long COVID? […]
Great question, and I’m happy to say the anwer is “No”. In short, it’s mainly because long COVID is caused by the LIVE virus, and no approved COVID vaccine contains the live virus (in the US and at least most other developed countries). Please see my separate post that covers this subject, and please let me know if you have any further questions after reading it. https://www.druryjournal.com/?p=1789