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COVID Vaccine Injury Science Overview

Covid Vaccine Injury Emerging Research

Long Covid/Long Vax

Yale Preprint (2025) - Immunological and Antigenic Signatures Associated with Chronic Illnesses after COVID-19 Vaccination
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.18.25322379v1

Finds in vaccinated who have not had Covid to be generating vaccine spike more than 700 days after vaccination, T-Cell exhaustion, and higher rate of viral EBV reactivation than Long Covid.

(*This study refutes T-Cell exhaustion: Nature (2025) No evidence of immune exhaustion after repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in vulnerable and healthy populations.) Study

Vaccines (2024) - Clinical and Diagnostic Features of Post-Acute COVID-19 Vaccination Syndrome (PACVS) blood markers for covid vaccine injury 
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12070790

Nearly half PVS patients had IgG subclass imbalances—especially reduced IgG3—paralleling patterns observed in ME/CFS and long COVID. Additionally, about 30% had elevated serum neurofilament light chain (sNFL), indicating neuroaxonal injury. Nearly all PACVS patients had elevated interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8), markers of systemic inflammation, while C-reactive protein (CRP) remained normal. There were consistent reductions in free T3 (fT3) levels, suggestive of a non-thyroidal illness syndrome. Over half the participants showed impaired iron storage based on low ferritin index and abnormal transferrin-related markers.

Vaccines (2023) - Chronic Fatigue and Dysautonomia following COVID-19 Vaccination Is Distinguished from Normal Vaccination Response by Altered Blood Markers 
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11111642

"In PACVS, serological vaccination–response appeared significantly altered, allowing discrimination from normal post-vaccination state by increased Angiotensin II type 1 receptor antibodies, decreased alpha-2B adrenergic receptor antibodies and increased IL-6."

Frontiers in Immunology (2024) - High serum prevalence of autoreactive IgG antibodies against peripheral nerve structures in patients with neurological post-COVID-19 vaccination syndrome 
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1404800

"High serum prevalence of autoreactive IgG antibodies against peripheral nerve structures in patients with neurological post-COVID-19 vaccination syndrome"

It essentially shows Long Vax sufferers have higher levels of autoreactive antibodies against peripheral nerve structures.

Journal of Neurology (2023) - Neurological symptoms after COVID-19 vaccination: a report on the clinical presentation of the first 50 patients 
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-023-11895-9 

"The median latency between receiving the vaccination and onset of symptoms was three days, ranging from one hour to 30 days. A SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred in 16 patients (32%) after their vaccination and onset of reported symptoms. All 16 had a mild course, but 10 (63%) reported an exacerbation of pre-existing symptoms."

Pretorius Preprint (2025) - Proteomic Signatures of Post-Vaccination/Post-Infection Syndrome (PV/PIS): Insights into Immune Dysregulation and Coagulopathy https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589909021000204 

"The proteomic analysis of plasma from 30 PV/PIS patients revealed significant upregulation of blood clotting coagulation factors X and XI and acute phase proteins serum amyloid A1 and A2. Attractin—a protein involved in immune cell interactions—was elevated. Conversely, several immune-regulatory proteins were downregulated, indicating impaired immune modulation. These changes suggest persistent immune activation combined with a pro-coagulant state in PV/PIS, with a proteomic profile distinct from but partially overlapping Long COVID."

Journal of Infection (2025) - Post-vaccination IgG4 and IgG2 class switch associates with increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection
https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(25)00067-2/fulltext 

"Repeated COVID-19 mRNA vaccinations increase SARS-CoV-2 IgG4 antibodies, indicating extensive IgG class switching following the first booster dose. This shift in IgG subclasses raises concerns due to the limited ability of IgG4 to mediate Fc-dependent effector functions."

Translational Autoimmunity (2021) -  Functional autoantibodies against G-protein coupled receptors in patients with persistent Long-COVID symptoms
https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(25)00067-2/fulltext 

"“The Sars‑CoV‑2 spike protein is a potential epitopic target for biomimicry‑induced autoimmunological processes. Therefore, we feel it will be extremely important to investigate whether GPCR‑fAABs will also become detectable after immunization by vaccination against the virus.”

Journal of Infection (2025) - Post-vaccination IgG4 and IgG2 class switch associates with increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection
https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(25)00067-2/fulltext 

"Repeated COVID-19 mRNA vaccinations increase SARS-CoV-2 IgG4 antibodies, indicating extensive IgG class switching following the first booster dose. This shift in IgG subclasses raises concerns due to the limited ability of IgG4 to mediate Fc-dependent effector functions."

Front. Immunology (2021) -  Reaction of Human Monoclonal Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 Proteins
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33584709/ 

"Both SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19 vaccine elicit an antibody response against the spike (S) protein, Molecular mimicry is one of the leading mechanisms by which infectious or chemical agents may induce autoimmunity. Vojdani et al did epitope mapping and applied monoclonal anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibodies and found 28 out of 55 human tissue antigens cross reacted."

Case Reports in Clinics (2023) -  SARS-CoV-2 vaccination complicated by small fiber neuropathy, mast cell activation syndrome, and pericarditis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10681913/ 

Case Reports in Neurology (2023) -  Small Fiber Neuropathy Triggered by COVID-19 Vaccination: Association with FGFR3 Autoantibodies and Improvement during Intravenous Immunoglobulin Treatment
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9891845/ 

Spike Biodistribution Study

In 2021, a biodistribution study was leaked from Japan.   https://pandemictimeline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Pfizer-bio-distribution-confidential-document-translated-to-english.pdf

Pfizer commissioned a Japanese researcher to do a biodistribution study to inject the mRNA vaccine into rats to learn where the nano-lipid particles in the vaccine could potentially travel to after injection. Not only did they discover the lipid nano-particles did NOT stay in the arm, but rather, it travelled everywhere in the body. The kidneys, lungs, brain, and reproductive organs. Pfizer failed to tell the world. The scientists leaked the report anyway.

Nature (2025) - Spike biodistribution study further describing the findings of the Japanese team. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-024-02528-1

These researchers also identified off-target protein accumulation in heart tissue, and changes in the expression of immune and vascular proteins.

Spike Clearance/Persistence

Persistent Spike - 

Frontiers in Immunology (2022) -  A study looking into the persistence of the SARS CoV-2 spike protein in vaccinated individuals. Researchers found people with self-reported vaccine injury  have "mutant spike." It's not the same as wild spike. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35082777/

Neurotoxicity

In 2022, React19 did a scientific lit review to understand "The Spike Protein Problem" https://www.react19.org/science-and-research/lit-reviews-and-surveys/react19-research-the-spike-protein-problem

Lit reviews show that the spike is neurotoxic, and can cause some life-altering neurologic complications. Several patient-driven case reports on Neuropathy and autoimmunity can be found in the published literature:

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination complicated by small fiber neuropathy, mast cell activation syndrome, and pericarditis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10681913/

Small Fiber Neuropathy Triggered by COVID-19 Vaccination: Association with FGFR3 Autoantibodies and Improvement during Intravenous Immunoglobulin Treatment: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9891845/

Frameshifting

Nature (2023) - N1-methylpseudouridylation of mRNA causes +1 ribosomal frameshifting https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06800-3

A group of scientists tested the translation of the N1-methylpseudouridine in the mrna and found that 1 in 9 times that the mRNA is transcribed, a rogue protein is created. So essentially what they found was that the code to create the spike protein is translated incorrectly every 1 out of 9 times. An mRNA covid vaccine typically will do literally trillions of translations from a single injection to drive the body to create a spike protein. One in nine times this occurs incorrectly, resulting in an unknown protein with unknown effects on the body and the immune response.

Potential problems are auto-immunity, antibodies that attack tissues and other proteins that attack the human body and that’s just the beginning. The researchers submitted to the journal early in 2023, Nature delayed the publication for more than a year for unknown reasons.

Cardiovascular

European Journal of Heart Failure (2023) - Sex-specific differences in myocardial injury incidence after COVID-19 mRNA-1273 booster vaccination  https://doi.org/10.1002/ejhf.2978

Another very interesting paper, looking at blood tests of all people given a booster, and comparing it with a control group. Cardiac damage was “common.”

Vaccine (2024) - Association of SARS-CoV-2 immunoserology and vaccination status with myocardial infarction severity and outcome. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X24009873

"The combination of vaccination and natural SARS-CoV2 infection was associated with the development of severe heart failure and cardiogenic shock in patients with STEMI, possibly related to an increased serological response."

Fibrinogen Microclots - CoVerse collection of studies: https://coverse.org.au/health-professionals/diagnosis/ 

David Putrino with Mt Sinai is also looking at microclots in the LC and LV patients they are seeing.

Nature (2024) - Fibrin drives thromboinflammation and neuropathology in COVID-19.  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07873-4

similar mechanisms after vaccination.

Nature Cardiovascular (2022) - Apparent risks of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome diagnoses after COVID-19 vaccination and SARS-Cov-2 Infection https://www.nature.com/articles/s44161-022-00177-8

Large analysis on POTS in medical records timed with Covid vaccination.

Genetic Integration

Molecular Biology (2022) - Intracellular Reverse Transcription of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 In Vitro in Human Liver Cell Line:

An in vitro experiment demonstrates the possibility. Rapid uptake into human liver cells leading to changes in DNA expression. Transcription into DNA in as little as 6 hours. 

Journal of High School Science (2024) - A Rapid Detection Method of Replication-Competent Plasmid DNA from COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines for Quality Control.

This study, performed in the FDA’s lab, was supervised by FDA scientists. High school students took vials of Pfizer’s vaccine and tested them for unsafe levels of DNA contamination. The vaccines were produced by E coli using plasmid DNA and SV40 promoter sequence. Half of the vials were found to have unsafe DNA contamination levels, that remained present after washing the solution in a buffer containing RNA-ase enzymes.

Reproductive Health

* Over 300 references impacting reproductive health can be found in the React19 Studies Database

Andrology (2022) - Covid-19 vaccination BNT162b2 temporarily impairs semenconcentration and total motile count among semen donors.  https://doi.org/10.1002/ejhf.2978

Studies showed a significant decrease in the production and motility of sperm at three months post vaccination. This appears to have been corrected after 145 days with re-sampling in comparison to baseline.

Transl Androl Urol. (2024) -SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and semen quality: a study based on sperm donor candidate data in southwest China https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38404555/

This shows a worsening in motility related parameters before and after vaccination.

Front Immunol. (2024) - Comprehensive evaluation of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on sperm parameters and sex hormones  https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1321406

This also shows persistent worsening of motility after hormone levels and sperm count have normalized, with one shot or multiple doses of the evaluated COVID vaccine.

Medicina (2024) - Menstrual Changes Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Study.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10890281/#B3-medicina-60-00206

Multiple studies showed that 66.3% of women reported menstrual changes following vaccination.

React 19 Research

Post COVID-19 vaccination syndrome (PCVS) is a complex chronic illness that presents with a broad range of persistent symptoms including systemic, neurologic, cardiac, and immunological. Few studies have investigated this population in detail so relatively little is known about symptom prevalence and severity, expected clinical evolution, impact on daily functioning, potential risk factors, recovery, and relative similarities and differences with other complex chronic illnesses.

Study Outline

Post COVID-10 vaccination syndrome - Symptoms, Tests, Diagnoses, Treatments. 

-7000 enrolled. 1250 respondents completed. 

We estimated the prevalence, severity, and time evolution of 137 symptoms across many organ systems. We measured the impact on health, daily functioning, pre/post COVID infections, and preexisting conditions. The study also investigates what tests, diagnoses, and treatments have been tried and their perceived effect. 

Authors: Edoardo Galli PhD, Danice Hertz MD , Linda Simoni-Wastila PhD 

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  • Symptom Severity

    Pain/discomfort maps show clusters of paresthesia type of pain towards the extremities.

    • PCVS shares many symptoms with Long Covid and other complex chronic illnesses. Fatigue, Brain-fog, and Exercise Intolerance/PEM are the most prevalent symptoms.

    More prevalent in PCVS than Long Covid

    • Paresthesia
    • Auditory symptoms

    Less prevalent in PCVS than Long Covid

    • Respiratory symptoms
    • Taste/smell symptoms

  • Symptoms Over Time

    For ~70% of people symptoms started within 1st week.

    • PCVS respondents seem to have more symptoms than Long Covid.

    • Similarly to Long Covid, almost everyone still experiences symptoms.

  • Demographics

    Most PCVS respondents were women (68.8%) and between the ages of 35 and 64 (68.4%). This trend is consistent with what observed in other similar complex chronic illnesses.

NIH Research

Avindra Nath or Avi Nath, MD, is a physician-scientist who specializes in neuroimmunology. Dr. Nath serves as the intramural clinical director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the U.S. and chief of the Section of Infections of the Nervous System at NINDS. He is the principal investigator of the NIH Post-Infectious ME/CFS Study and two long COVID studies including An Observational Study of Neurologic Function after COVID-19 Infection, which will focus more specifically on characterizing post-COVID neurologic sequelae, including abnormalities in brain structure, neurologic function, and autonomic nervous system function.

Dr. Nath has published four studies detailing neurologic events triggered by vaccination. In addition to characterizing these elusive conditions, his papers include the following:

  • Confirms elusive neuro complications after vaccination. 
  • Provides guidance for diagnostic testing and possible therapeutics.
  • Points out that drug company immunity provides a negative feedback loop.

NIH Studies from Dr. Avindra Nath

ANA Investigates: Neurological Complications of COVID‐19 Vaccines, Mar 2021

In May 2021 Dr Nath jumps on a paper with colleagues to discuss the importance of being cognizant of vaccinating in the environment of neurological complications.

“Concern about neurological complications from COVID‐19 vaccines escalated in the fall of 2020, when 2 patients developed transverse myelitis after receiving the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. 1 One case was ultimately deemed unlikely to be related to the vaccination (the patient had pre‐existing multiple sclerosis), whereas the other was determined to be possibly related. 2 Data from the mRNA vaccine clinical trials showed that 7 cases out of 37,000 vaccine recipients developed Bell's palsy and none developed Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS). “

“As of March 2, 2021, 51,755,447 dosages of the vaccines have been administered in the United States and 9,442 reports of adverse reactions to the vaccines have been submitted to VAERS. The most common neurological symptoms included dizziness, headache, pain, muscle spasms, myalgia, and paresthesias, which are expected to occur as acute, transient effects of the vaccination. Rare cases of tremor, diplopia, tinnitus, dysphonia, seizures, and reactivation of herpes zoster have been reported. There are also cases of stroke (17 cases), GBS (32 cases), facial palsy (190 cases), transverse myelitis (9 cases), and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (6 cases) in the VAERS database. However, this does not suggest a causal link with the vaccination.” 

“The GBS/Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) Foundation provides the following guideline: for the rare person who develops GBS within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving an immunization, it seems prudent to avoid that vaccination in the future. “



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COVID-19 and Vaccination in the Setting of Neurologic Disease, Jul 2021

In July 2021 Dr Nath detailed vaccines in general and the neurological complications identified with previous vaccines of the past, Guillain Barre, ADEM, Transverse myelitis, encephalitis, autonomic dysfunction. He points to VAERS already identifying multiple neurological complications to covid vaccines.

"…However, the rapidity of approval, and history of prior vaccination regimens resulting in neurological and other complications, creates concern surrounding widespread vaccination. …A number of neurological complications of these vaccines are now being reported in the most comprehensive registry, the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database. These include strokes, cranial neuropathies including Bell’s palsy, tinnitus and trigeminal neuralgia, peripheral neuropathies, dysautonomia, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, transverse myelitis and AIDP .. however, it is too early to know the true incidence and risk factors for these complications. They are thought to be immune-mediated and early recognition and treatment with immunomodulatory therapies might be warranted…Recently, blood clots occurring 7–14 days after administration have been reported, primarily in young women on oral contraceptive medications…  Following review, the recommendation and emergency use authorization for this vaccine were reaffirmed for individuals aged 18 years and older, with a warning regarding rare clotting events primarily among women aged 18–49 years.”

“Prior studies have shed light on the likelihood of neurological complications following vaccination. These data can be difficult to interpret and are often seen as controversial, suffering from potential reporting bias and lack of clear causality, but illustrate theoretical concerns for both patients and physicians and must be acknowledged.”

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Neuropathic symptoms with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, May 2022

NIH Study on Neurological complications after Covid vaccination. Dr Danice Hertz and Brianne Dressen were participants. 

This observational study suggests that a variety of neuropathic symptoms may manifest after SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations and in some patients might be an immune-mediated process 

Immunotherapy and early intervention with the same appears to be key in treating this syndrome.

 studied 23 patients (92% female; median age 40years) reporting new neuropathic symptoms beginning within 1 month after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. 100% reported sensory symptoms comprising severe face and/or limb paresthesias, and 61% had orthostasis, heat intolerance and palpitations. Autonomic testing in 12 identified seven with reduced distal sweat production and six with positional orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Among 16 with lower-leg skin biopsies, 31% had diagnostic/subthreshold epidermal neurite densities ( 5%), 13% were borderline (5.01-10%) and 19% showed abnormal axonal swelling. Biopsies from randomly selected five patients that were evaluated for immune complexes showed deposition of complement C4d in endothelial cells. Electrodiagnostic test results were normal in 94% (16/17). Together, 52% (12/23) of patients had objective evidence of small-fiber peripheral neuropathy.

Complement system issues, involving the endothelial cells, the enothelium, blood vessel material. 

Objective Findings:

Autonomic
7 out of 12 had reduced distal sweat production
6 out of 12 had Positional Othostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)

Small Fiber Neuropathy
of 16 lower leg biopsies:
31% had diagnostic/subthreshhold epidermal neuritis.
13% were borderline
19% showed abnormal axonal swelling

Electrodiagnosic
test results were normal in 94%

Imaging
100% of MRIs were normal

Small fiber neuropathy in young healthy women. The typical onset is from diabetes, or in males aged 59.

"All our patients had neuropathic symptoms but objective findings of SFN were present in a few patients only."

"Anti-spike protein immune responses may link post-Covid and post-vaccine syndromes."

"In studies of mouse sensory ganglia, small-fiber neurons preferentially display the ACE-2 docking protein for SARS-COV- consistent with a potential predominance of SFN." Once again, the neurotoxic spike protein comes into play. An auto-immunity as a secondary response then causing SFN?

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Neurologic Complications With Vaccines: What We Know, What We Don't, and What We Should Do, Oct 2023

in October 2023 Nath wrote an editorial in the prestigious journal Neurology. “Neurologic Complications With Vaccines: What We Know, What We Don't, and What We Should Do”

A Short Summary:

“Despite such measures, vaccines are not without side effects including those that impact the nervous system. Numerous case reports and case series point to these possibilities… Action is needed that brings together manufactures, health care agencies, clinical and bench scientists and legislatures on a global platform to investigate vaccine related neurological adverse events and develop ways to prevent and treat them.”

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