Even leading experts in vaccine science are facing mistrust and ambivalence.
Dr. Gregory Poland, 68, editor-in-chief of Vaccine magazine, asked colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find out what caused the loud hissing sound in his ears that had been constant since his first vaccination. He said he begged for an investigation. There was no solution to the phenomenon of tinnitus.
Although he received polite replies to many emails, he says, “I don’t feel like there’s any movement at all.”
“If they have done the research, that research should be published,” Dr. Poland added. In his despair that he might never hear silence again, he has sought solace in meditation and religious faith.
Dr. Buddy Creech, 50, who led several coronavirus vaccine trials at Vanderbilt University, said the ringing in his ears and heart racing lasted about a week after getting the shot. “This is very similar to what I experienced during the acute phase of COVID-19 in March 2020,” Dr. Creech said.
He acknowledged that research may ultimately show that most of the reported side effects are unrelated to the vaccine. Many may be caused by the coronavirus itself.
“When our patients experience side effects, whether related to the vaccine or not, we have a duty to investigate it as thoroughly as possible,” Dr. Creech said.
Federal health officials said they do not believe the coronavirus vaccine was the cause of the illnesses described by patients like Barkavage, Zimmerman and France. The vaccine can cause temporary reactions such as swelling, fatigue, and fever, but the CDC has only reported four serious but rare side effects, the CDC said.
Two involve the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is no longer available in the United States. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a known side effect of other vaccines, including the influenza shot. and blood clotting disorders.
The CDC has also linked mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to heart inflammation and myocarditis, particularly in boys and young men. The agency also warns that anaphylaxis and severe allergic reactions may occur after vaccination.
hear the signal
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said agency scientists are looking for patterns in the numbers that could suggest previously unknown side effects of vaccination. It reportedly monitors a massive database containing medical information for a million Americans.
“We toe the line by reporting what we believe to be genuine signals and reporting them as soon as we identify them,” he said. He said the agency’s system for monitoring vaccine safety is “pretty close” to ideal.