Yale Study Links COVID Shots to “Alarming” Immune System Condition
- by Amber Baker
- Published
- Risk & Failure Reports
While many medical professionals hail the COVID-19 shots as a life-saving breakthrough and key to ending the pandemic, reports of long term health problems similar to those suffered by people who were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus have persisted since the COVID biological was rolled out nationwide in early 2021. A wide range of clinical symptoms of chronic poor health outcomes after receipt of the COVID shots were eventually grouped under the umbrella of “Long COVID,” a term applied to chronic health problems associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself. However, no studies have definitively ruled out COVID shots as a potential cause, despite the striking similarities between reported Long COVID symptoms after infection and those experienced following COVID shots.
Now, a study led by Yale researchers published last month has identified a link between COVID shots and a significant immune system shift—a condition they have termed Post-Vaccination Syndrome (PVS). The previously unrecognized condition not only causes debilitating symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, exercise intolerance, insomnia, and dizziness, but also causes persistent biological changes even years after receiving the injection(s).1
The study, led by Yale researchers Akiko Iwasaki and Harlan Krumholz, analyzed blood samples from 42 people with PVS symptoms and compared them to 22 people who “had no issues” after getting the COVID shots and examined the immune responses in affected individuals. “This work is still in its early stages, and we need to validate these findings,” Iwasaki, a Sterling Professor of Immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine, said. “But this is giving us some hope that there may be something that we can use for diagnosis and treatment of PVS down the road.”1
Researchers found key differences in the immune systems of people with PVS. Those affected had lower levels of certain immune cells (CD4+ T cells) that help fight infections and higher levels of inflammatory cells (TNF-alpha+ CD8 T cells), which can contribute to chronic inflammation and symptoms. People with PVS who did not have evidence of being previously infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus had lower levels of antibodies against the virus’s spike protein.
Some individuals with PVS still had the synthetic spike protein in their bodies more than 700 days after vaccination. Researchers have said that normally the body clears the spike protein within days, but in PVS cases, the synthetic spike protein remained in the body for years—mirroring patterns seen in long COVID patients.1
Study Also Discovers Link Between PVS and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)
Scientists also identified a concerning link between PVS and the reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which is a herpes family virus that, after infection, becomes dormant. When EBV is reactivated by an environmental trigger, it can cause severe fatigue and other influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms. Epstein-Barr virus causes mononucleosis, or “mono,” and most people get infected with EBV in their life, usually in childhood or as young adults.2 Both PVS patients and “long COVID” sufferers showed signs of Epstein-Barr reactivation, suggesting that the COVID shot may have played a role in long-term chronic inflammation and immune system dysfunction.3
The role that persistent circulating synthetic spike protein plays in chronic health problems that occur after COVID shots is still being investigated.4 5 The mRNA COVID shots developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna/NIAID both contain synthetic spike protein.6
“That was surprising to find spike protein in circulation at such a late time point,” Iwasaki said. “We don’t know if the level of spike protein is causing the chronic symptoms, because there were other participants with PVS who didn’t have any measurable spike protein. But it could be one mechanism underlying this syndrome.”3
Moderna Seeks Participants for Clinical Trial of New mRNA Epstein-Barr Virus Vaccine
In 2024, Moderna announced the development of three new vaccines, including an mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccine targeting the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The company’s efforts to stay ahead of the curve—actively developing treatments for conditions that, in some cases, may be linked to its own products.4
Late last year, Senders Pediatrics in South Euclid, Ohio, was actively recruiting children and young adults aged 10-21 for a clinical trial of an mRNA EBVshot.7 “EBV is linked to seven autoimmune disorders, including lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease, which affect over 8 million Americans,” said Shelly Senders, MD of Senders Pediatrics. The trial is expected to last 19 months and includes a “screening, a dosing period, and a follow-up observation period.” The goal, he says, is to be finished with clinical trials by late 2026 or early 2027 with licensure typically to follow a year later.8
“Stark Helplessness and Powerlessness” Says COVID Vaccine Victim
In an interview, 32-year-old Sasha Schwartz reflects on his life-changing experience with PVC after receiving AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria COVID vaccine. “I’ve never felt such stark helplessness and powerlessness as I have over the last two years. I feel trapped in my own body and have the feeling that I no longer exist,” he shared in an interview. “You go on autopilot. It’s like being drained of vitality. It’s like you’re in a stupor, where stimuli no longer register, and you feel electricity in your head,” he said.3
His symptoms and concerns were dismissed by healthcare providers time and again. “It took me six months to find an immunologist who would take me and my complaints seriously,” Schwartz said, recounting how doctors told him countless times that his symptoms weren’t linked to the COVID vaccine because the vaccines “are safe.” AstraZeneca later pulled its vaccine from the market after it was determined that the product could cause a potentially deadly blood-clotting condition.3
Kate Scott, a member of the U.K. group Vaccine Injured and Bereaved (VIBUK), is all too familiar with the stigma faced by those reporting vaccine injuries. Many who speak out about adverse effects are dismissed or ostracized for questioning products widely promoted as safe and effective, despite the lack of long-term data. “We are an uncomfortable truth, but we are a truth,” Scott says. “And the truth is that for everyone in our group, the vaccine caused serious harm and death.”3
“Every Medical Intervention Carries Risk and Adverse Events Can Occur with Vaccines”
While the team of Yale researchers acknowledges the need for a larger study and emphasizes that their findings “are far from a final answer on PVS,” the study brings critical attention to the often-overlooked, underreported risks and personal struggles of those affected by medical products like vaccines and the COVID biologicals despite expert assurances of their safety.9
“Every medical intervention carries some risk, and it’s important to acknowledge that adverse events can occur with vaccines,” Krumholz said. “Our focus must remain on understanding what these people are experiencing through rigorous science and addressing the needs of those affected with compassion and an open mind.”9
The study’s authors encourage providers to listen to their patients’ concerns and experiences post-vaccination without immediately dismissing them. “It’s clear that some individuals are experiencing significant challenges after vaccination,” Krumholz said. “Our responsibility as scientists and clinicians is to listen to their experiences, rigorously investigate the underlying causes, and seek ways to help.”3 9
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