Yale Preprint Recorded Patient Experiences, Did Not Demonstrate Vaccines Cause New Syndrome

SciCheck Digest A preprint on a Yale-based study described chronic symptoms self-reported after COVID-19 vaccination by 241 members of an online group. The paper, which has not been peer-reviewed, did not show how common these symptoms are in the general population, nor whether vaccinations caused them — limitations popular online posts did not make clear. Full Story Some people& experience& side effects following COVID-19 vaccination, but they are generally short-lived. There are well-established& serious side effects& that can occur due to COVID-19 vaccination, such as& myocarditis, but these are rare.& COVID-19 vaccination lowers the risk of severe disease and death from COVID-19. Among people who get COVID-19, those who are vaccinated may have a reduced risk of developing long COVID. A& preprint& of a study posted online Nov. 10 described symptoms and other characteristics of 241 members of an online group who reported that they “thought the vaccine had injured them,” referring to COVID-19 vaccines. The authors described this group of patients as having reported “post-vaccination syndrome.” Preprints are drafts of papers posted online that have not yet been peer-reviewed or published in scientific journals.& As we’ve& written& previously, a voluntary survey cannot be used to determine whether vaccines are...