Are You Reluctant to Take the COVID-19 Vaccine?
Hello, and welcome to another Inside Lyme Podcast. I am your host Dr. Daniel Cameron. In this episode, I discuss concerns many Lyme disease patients have about the COVID-19 vaccine and the factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy.
I have Lyme disease patients in my practice who are concerned about contracting COVID-19 and others who are reluctant to take the vaccine. This reluctance is often referred to as vaccine hesitancy.
In the journal Quantitative Research, Quinn and colleagues wrote that once a COVID-19 vaccine became available, many Americans might be hesitant to accept it, particularly in minority communities. [1]
Lyme Disease Vaccine History
In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a vaccine to prevent Lyme disease. The vaccine, LYMErix™, was effective at preventing the classic Lyme disease rash (erythema migrans). However, it was less effective at preventing other manifestations of Lyme disease.
Some Lyme disease patients reported autoimmune symptoms following vaccination. Ultimately, the manufacturer SmithKline Beecham withdrew the vaccine from the market in 2002 due to poor sales and controversy surrounding these reports.
Several companies are now working on developing a new Lyme disease vaccine, although research into vaccines for other tick-borne illnesses remains limited. [2]
Vaccine Hesitancy
Concerns about vaccines are not limited to Lyme disease patients. P.R. Lockhart reported in NBC News that there is particularly low trust in the COVID-19 vaccine among some Black Americans.
Historical mistreatment by the medical system, including the Tuskegee syphilis study, has contributed to mistrust in public health institutions.
Quinn and colleagues found that if a COVID-19 vaccine were widely available, only 49% of Americans said they intended to receive it, and only 40% of Black adults indicated they would take the vaccine while 32% remained unsure. [1]
Some of my Lyme disease patients have expressed concern that the COVID-19 vaccine could worsen their Lyme symptoms. They often feel that their concerns have been dismissed by clinicians.
Risks vs. Benefits of the COVID-19 Vaccine
A Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report described the risks associated with COVID-19 infection.
“As of January 3, 2021, a total of 20,346,372 cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 349,246 associated deaths have been reported in the United States.” [4]
Persistent symptoms and complications have also been reported among COVID-19 survivors, even in those who initially experienced mild illness.
The same report also described risks associated with vaccination.
“During December 14–23, 2020, monitoring by the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System detected 21 cases of anaphylaxis after administration of 1,893,360 first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (11.1 cases per million doses).” [4]
The overall risks of COVID-19 infection and vaccination specifically for Lyme disease patients remain uncertain.
To Take or Not to Take the COVID-19 Vaccine
The severity of COVID-19 for some individuals forces many Lyme disease patients to weigh the risks and benefits of vaccination. Each patient must decide whether to receive the vaccine after considering their individual medical situation.
Questions Addressed in the Podcast
- Have you had Lyme disease patients who became ill with COVID-19?
- What concerns do Lyme patients have about COVID-19?
- What concerns do Lyme patients have about the COVID-19 vaccine?
- What is vaccine hesitancy?
- Did any Lyme patients receive the earlier Lyme disease vaccine?
- Why was the Lyme vaccine discontinued?
- Have Lyme patients tolerated the COVID-19 vaccine?
- What are the risks of COVID-19?
- What are the risks of the COVID-19 vaccine?
- What are the potential benefits of vaccination?
- How should patients decide whether to receive the vaccine?
Thanks for listening to another Inside Lyme Podcast. You can read more about these cases in my show notes and on my website at DanielCameronMD.com.
Please remember that the advice given is general and not intended as specific advice for any particular patient. If you require specific advice, seek guidance from an experienced healthcare professional.
Advised numerous times not to take flu vaccine.
This back when was fixed with FM other illnesses.
Would think same applies for covid. Told broken immune systems can’t tolerate due to complication of flu vaccines. Normal do not take flu .
Some my docs say others . What to do?
I am on hydroxychloraquin for my late stage chronic Lyme & Babesiosis.
Am Lyme advocate for years. Research & working with groups & Lyme community for years.
I understand your doctor’s reluctance to take the vaccine. The risk of COVID-19 is high enough to consider the vaccine despite how frustrated the Lyme disease community has been with doctors and the CDC.
Thank you, I have been wondering what to do. I got 5 tick-borne infections in 1995 in Ma when I took up golf. It took 12 years to get a positive. I had a stroke and spinal damage with neuropathy in both legs from the sacrum down. i have spent many thousands of dollars to stay alive. I am 77 years old and have a lot to live for as I have many friends with Lyme disease that I help daily.You have helped me decide to wait to see the outcome in others. I got my neuropathy in 2005 when I got a pneumonia and flu shot on the same day.
Great comment. I have concerns with vaccines. I wrote the blog to reflect my patients reluctance to take the COVID-19 vaccine. I find the risk of COVID-19 is worse that the risk of the COVID-19 vaccine based on my review of the evidence we have as of January 14, 2021. Others will reach their own conclusion.
What I have learned is This RNA vaccine is not actually a vaccine but gene therapy. It is an experiment and you are part of the clinical trial if you take the vaccine. Also, there are early treatments for Covid that work such as Ivermectin, which NIH just miraculously said Drs can now use to treat, HCQ, and Pepsid AC.
Hi,
This is something I’ve discussed with the herbalist who saved me. I appreciate you taking the time to discuss this. In looking at some of the effects vaccines have had on people, like the Gardisol vaccine and vaccine given for “Swine flu” in the 1970s, I have some major concerns. With the latter vaccine, I saw one previously healthy vice-principal develop GBS after taking that vaccine. The “roll up your sleeve campaign” really reminds me of today’s world with the exception of that many more have reportedly been affected by the current COVID virus, and by that, I mean in a bad way. At the same time, many patients appear to recover and haven’t reported long-term effects. With the HPV vaccine, referenced above, I read about a case of a girl passing after getting that. Upon looking in at the “Vaccine Court,” her mom was awarded damages. From what I recall, there was an autoimmune reaction in the brain. I’d have to review the information again.
I was always a believer in vaccines, because I grew up in a family with a father who taught nurses and doctors, but my experience is that my body might have done worse due to vaccines and how would we ever know.
To me, COVID is like all of these other strong and disabling infections and co-infections. I have to ask myself why I should trust a vaccine that appears to have been rushed when the US gov’t, most of the medical establishment, and world health authorities barely take “Lyme” diseases seriously. If I get ill from this vaccine, how will I know? It might not show for years, decades, or I could perish right away. Who will care for me if I develop issues from said vaccine? I’m very concerned about my infections as it is, and having what has been termed autoimmune disease, I think a vaccine could be riskier for those of us who have autoimmune diagnoses and/or infectious disease diagnoses. I’d like to see a focus on prevention. I mean herbs, supplements, and other treatments. Couple that with sanitation, it seems like the same life I’ve been living for a long while.
As a side note, I had Coxsackie B viruses, the Lyme virus, Q fever, and all activated infections from 2018 to present. For the better part of 2 years, I had crippling encephalitis, inability to leave my home due to breathing issues and sweats/chills, and pain from all of the vesicles. On top of that, I had some strange heart pains. The only provider that cared and helped was my herbalist. Why is it that we don’t have a focus on these serious infections, which can and are life-threatening. The effects are long-term also.
Again, I appreciate the discussion, but I’m worried that the risk might outweigh the benefit for many. We don’t know enough about how this will affect ill people or well people. Not really.
Hi Dr. Cameron,
I am an RN and a Lyme disease ‘victim’. I just had the first of two Pfizer Covid 19 this past Monday, 2 days ago. On the ride home, I felt the first symptoms of what I consider Lyme disease symptoms, as they were the same symptoms I experienced when taking antibiotics. I can only explain the feeling as my body fighting itself: pain in the joints, especially my upper spine and hands. The next evening, the pain in the arm where the vaccine was administered was rather extreme, especially down to my hand. The discomfort moved to my knees and ankles. I took a pain reliever and went to bed feeling much better today.
My daughter, who also had a severe case of Lyme disease over 30 years ago and was hospitalized for 10 days on IV antibiotic therapy also became rather ill, but not debilitatingly so. Her biggest complaint was a headache, as well as achiness and nausea. Curious, as the deer tick was removed from behind her ear all those years ago.
I never considered that the Lyme disease may have an adverse effect with the vaccine until my experience, because I have been taking many supplements to strengthen my immune system at the advice of my specialist and have been doing pretty well. The symptoms I experienced led me to this site in search of a connection.
In my search, also came across an article: ‘Amid Covid-19 hunt, Pfizer adds Lyme disease vaccine in $308M deal with Valneva’. I am not sure what the connection is, if any, nonetheless I am very curious as to what that might mean. I wonder, Dr. Cameron, if you have any thoughts on the article and why Pfizer was inclined to include the Lyme disease vaccine in the deal with Vaneva.
I think you are correct in that the vaccine outweighs the little known long term effects of contracting Covid-19. I believe I had Covid last March, and was pretty sick, but not hospitalized. The cough lasted for about 8-9 weeks, although I tested negative 3 weeks into the illness.
As a side note, my brother, who suffers from Dystonia also had the vaccine administered on Monday as well. He had the Hong Kong flu when he was about 10 years old and was very sick. My mother, who is also a nurse, suspects that that disease triggered the Dystonia. Apart from experiencing some mild pain at the injection site, he is absolutely fine.
There are several companies trying to introduce a Lyme disease vaccine. I reviewed my concerns in a couple blogs at https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-vaccine-for-humans-would-you-trust-it/ and https://danielcameronmd.com/there-are-lingering-questions-on-the-efficacy-of-the-lyme-disease-vaccine/
I appreciate that everyone is afraid of COVID. The uncertainty of whether or not “you will be the one” is fear generating. Nonetheless, in agreement w/the article above, there are many things that can be done to ameliorate the risk of getting the “bad Covid” as we describe it, and those things, for most people truly work, including vitamins, selenium, melatonin, N-acetylcysteine, hydroxy chloroquine, quercetin, and ivermectin, and from my experience, funnily enough, doxycycline (it seems to be a very effective treatment for Covid lung). Most people seem to be recovering relatively well when using those things, and one would presume, that it would also help with long term sequelae. The biggest threat from Covid, which can strike anyone, even someone with no symptoms, is clotting. We have seen numerous people with DVTs, PEs, Strokes, pancreatitis, liver injury, cardiac injury, kidney injury and even bowel injury from clotting. The best thing you can do to prevent that complication is to take aspirin if you can. I am sure the inflammation from lyme disease adds to that. And, working in an ER, I have known a number of people who have died from Covid, or from complications of Covid. It is a real disease. On the flip side, both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are made using an experimental technique that has never been used before successfully. This is called an mRNA technique because a mRNA virus (both Adenoviruses and Coronaviruses are used as vectors) is used to carry a piece of DNA or RNA spliced on to these vectors like a package (we don’t know exactly what it is) that supposedly codes the spike protein found on Coronaviruses, into your cells for your cells to replica it. There was a similar vaccine trialed on ferrets for Sars Cov 1 which appeared successful for the 2 shots, but then problems occurred with exposure to disease some months later where many of the ferrets died. One would hope that they have fixed that problem, but again nothing is known until it is tried. There are other vaccines that do not use the mRNA technology. I believe astrazeneca may be a traditional vaccine. They may also come out with a nasal or an oral vaccine soon that may not have some of the preservatives and other chemicals that can cause problems. It does appear that there is a correlation between having the vaccine (Pfizzer and Moderna) and an increase in nursing home/elderly people deaths shortly after taking the vaccine. They are stating that there is no proof that this is causative. In addition, given that they are insisting that even with the vaccine, you may get Covid, and should still wear a mask, there is obviously still question as to the effectiveness of the mRNA vaccine, and whether it will work for all strains. There is also pretty clear evidence that if you had the Covid, the vaccine will do nothing more for you, so certainly, if you have had a positive test, your decision may be easier. It is a difficult decision that we will all have to make. Some may decide yes, some wait, and some no, but I think we can all agree that all the other medicines can help prevent the bad covid and should be availed of. Some things like N-acetylcysteine may also help the inflammation found in patients with lyme disease.
Here’s my experience with Covid 19 vaccine Moderna with Chronic lyme
:
1st Moderna shot put me in a Jaxheimer with internal & external biofilm & spirochetes die off. With high BP from pain.
Just toke 2nd Moderna shot Jaxheimer worst, internal die off major die off. Starting to see external die off also. Double edge sword.
Maybe we have a cure or remission for some people. Trying to b patient. Trying to keep positive & going. Bedridden for 18 days 1st shot. 2nd shot ??? Documenting.
Battling Chronic lyme since 1998 then went full blown Oct 23, 2008. Been on maintenance program since August 2017.
Treatments , Hyperbaric Oxygen Ozone /10 pass when bad, then back to maintenance at home, diet oxygen ozone, Rife frequencies, hypnosis & mind over body. Plus water cleans by Professional. Do natural Native American Medicine/Shamans from plants, roots & pure plant tinacture with NO additives.
No Medical medicines or antibiotics & no supplement off shelf. Allergic to additives. Everything has to be pure
I was scared to get the COVID VACCINE too, but I am fully vaccinated and SO VERY GLAD I DID. I have always stayed away from vaccines for fear of the consequences having a compromised immune system with Lyme Disease. This April 2021 I decided to face my fears and just go and get the vaccine. I was so tired of being so terrified of getting COVID. I was tired of every time someone stood to close to me or if I got a runny nose, I would run to the COVID TESTING place… praying it was negative. I came to terms with my fear of the vaccine and realized if I didn’t get vaccinated I would not be able to travel, and many other things in life. Besides if I didn’t get vaccinated; “all of my efforts for being in quarantine for over a year, would be for nothing”! Now to what you really wanted to know; How did I do ! The first vaccine was pretty much like everyone else. My arm was pretty sore the next day. I planned on being down so I cleared my schedule for a week. I was ok after 2-3 days. The second vaccine; I also cleared my schedule for a week and I am glad I did. The first night I experienced pretty bad chills. The days to follow I was just really tired. Headache, achey, just all around how I would feel if I got the flu. Yes I was down about 7 days (which I attribute to my Lyme Disease making it harder for me. Viruses and colds to usually take more out of me than other people,,, but I expected it and planned for it. My husband (who doesn’t have Lyme) he had really bad night sweats. “thats how his body processes flu viruses”. After talking to many people everyone having very similar experiences I believe that our experience with the COVID vaccine is most likely how we all process our own experiences with a flu virus. Some of us get chills and body aches, head aches etc.. and some of us get fevers “some sweat it out”…. All in all I am very glad I got fully vaccinated. Oh yes I got the Pfizer 2 shot protocol. 3/24/21 and 4/14/21. I very glad I did get it because when I go out I don’t have to hold my breath “metaphorically” of course. Its a really good feeling to not live in fear. Heres the part that might get you off the fence if your still scared. My first week after recovered from my second shot, I felt better than I have in so long and it lasted for days. I have been dealing with other hormone issues that got me down again. I am hoping once those are balanced I will return to that state of health. I didn’t think it was possible to feel that well again, ” I hope that will be my new normal”.
Robin..may I ask your age (or age range? ) How long have you had as well as the severity illness of your chronic Lyme years before?
My gut instinct all along had been to avoid this so called vaccine for Covid-19. I have chronic Lyme and I’m in my mid 60’s. It’s interesting that two of my more alternative minded docs have actually recommended this unknown jab whereas before they always steered me away from vaccines in general. Hmmm.
Long story short. My family and I got Covid in April. It was unpleasant but fortunately one of the docs believed in Ivermectin, Quercetin, Zinc, and all the other mostly over the counter helps. We all recovered, but some of my chronic Lyme type symptoms seemed worsened(fatigue, Brain Fog) but the chronic Lyme headaches somehow left after being on Ivermectin for two weeks.
I still have no intention of getting the jab no matter it’s formal authorization. I’ve kept myself informed as much as possible and have no doubt I am doing the right thing. Besides, the matter of natural immunity from being Covid recovered has not been adequately addressed. I did have a blood antibody test done and I do have antibodies. The studies coming out are showing long term and robust immunity from having the illness and no great advantage of then having the shot. In fact, some studies showed worse outcomes for those who have natural immunity and then go on to get the jab.
I think we are all just guinea pigs in this great experiment which I believe will also be known as the greatest crime against humanity.
Thank you for allowing me to air my thoughts and I know we all need to make our own personal decisions based on numerous criteria. This is just my story.
Hello Dr.,
I contracted Lyme the spring of 2017, Febrile for 3 weeks @ 102.5 +/- (1). During which time I was cognitively and neurologically emaciated. I was told “I was lucky I caught this in time”, given 30 days of Doxy.. finally got well. Do YOU consider that “in time”? I am also in fear of receiving vaccine,(afraid of side effects) as I need it being a healthcare worker. Is there a Lyme disease exception from the virus yet?? Finally, do you ever think there will come a time where hospitals look at an employee during flu season, someone that refused the vaccine, to simply say wear a mask for the season. Why can’t we do that with covid?
Lyme Disease 2007. Undiagnosed until 2009. ABX cocktails for 3 years. On my own I sent my Lyme into remission. HX of anaphylactic shock from allergy shots. I believe my body is over-reactive. I will not receive any COVID vaccines as I am afraid that I will get out of “remission.” On top of that I have Lyme PTSD and struggle mentally about living with full blown Lyme symptoms again. I intend to be my introverted self and always wear my mask and avoid risking myself and others.