COVID Vaccine Side Effects in Lyme Disease Patients
Most Lyme disease patients reported only minor vaccine side effects
Some individuals described temporary symptom flares after vaccination
Further research is needed to better understand these reactions
Some individuals with a history of Lyme disease have expressed concerns that COVID-19 vaccination could worsen their symptom burden. A cross-sectional survey involving 1,168 individuals explored the experiences of vaccinated and unvaccinated people with a history of Lyme disease.¹
The survey found that the overall symptom burden among vaccinated participants was slightly lower than among those who were not vaccinated.¹ However, a small number of participants reported significant symptom flares following vaccination.
This study was not designed to determine causation, but it provides insight into how individuals with a history of Lyme disease described their experiences after COVID-19 vaccination.
Study Overview
The survey included 616 vaccinated and 552 unvaccinated individuals with a history of Lyme disease.¹
Among vaccinated participants:
- 55.5% received the Pfizer vaccine
- 32.8% received the Moderna vaccine
- 9.1% received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
The General Symptom Questionnaire-30 (GSQ-30) was used to evaluate symptom burden across multiple domains including pain, fatigue, neurologic symptoms, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and viral-like symptoms.¹
The vaccinated group had a slightly lower average symptom burden score than the unvaccinated group (43.5 vs 46.6).¹
Common COVID Vaccine Side Effects
Most vaccinated individuals reported at least minor side effects.¹
The most common side effects included:
- Pain at the injection site
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Chills
- Headaches
- Body aches
Only 25 individuals (4%) reported severe side effects lasting longer than 72 hours.¹
Several participants described symptom flares involving fatigue, neurologic symptoms, heart palpitations, dizziness, or worsening pain after vaccination.¹
Some individuals specifically believed their Lyme disease or Babesia symptoms worsened temporarily following vaccination.¹
Interpreting Symptom Flares Carefully
The authors emphasized that the survey was not designed to determine whether post-vaccine symptoms were caused by Lyme disease, persistent infection, immune activation, unrelated medical conditions, or other factors.¹
Importantly, none of the severe side effects described in the survey involved the major vaccine complications commonly discussed in the medical literature, including thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome, or myocarditis.¹
The authors concluded that most vaccinated participants with a history of Lyme disease tolerated vaccination similarly to the general population.¹
At the same time, they acknowledged that a small number of individuals described significant symptom flares deserving further investigation.¹
Concerns regarding vaccine side effects, immune activation, and chronic illness symptom flares have contributed to broader vaccine hesitancy discussions during the COVID-19 pandemic.²⁻⁷ Case reports describing post-vaccine autoimmune flares have also raised questions about inflammatory responses in susceptible individuals, although causation remains difficult to establish.⁸⁻⁹
Why Lyme Disease Patients May Have Concerns
Individuals living with persistent Lyme disease symptoms, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), autonomic dysfunction, mast cell activation, or overlapping chronic illnesses may worry that immune stimulation could temporarily worsen symptoms.
Patients with neurologic Lyme disease or heightened sensory sensitivity may also be more aware of changes in fatigue, pain, cognitive symptoms, or autonomic instability.
Learn more about post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS).
Learn more about autonomic dysfunction in Lyme disease.
Long COVID and Lyme Disease Overlap
Some Lyme disease patients may also worry about long COVID, persistent inflammation, and overlapping post-infectious symptoms.
Fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, sensory sensitivity, sleep disruption, and autonomic symptoms may occur in both Lyme disease and long COVID.
These overlapping symptom patterns continue to be studied.
Learn more about Lyme and long COVID brain fog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did COVID vaccines worsen Lyme disease symptoms in the study?
Most participants did not report major worsening. Overall symptom burden was slightly lower in vaccinated participants, though a small number reported symptom flares.
What side effects were most commonly reported?
The most common side effects included injection site pain, fatigue, fever, chills, headaches, and body aches.
Did some Lyme disease patients report severe reactions?
Yes. A small number of participants described severe symptoms lasting more than 72 hours, including fatigue, neurologic symptoms, dizziness, and palpitations.
Does this study prove the vaccine caused symptom flares?
No. The survey was observational and cannot determine causation.
Why might Lyme disease patients worry about vaccination?
Some patients with persistent symptoms, autonomic dysfunction, or immune dysregulation worry that immune activation could temporarily worsen symptoms.
Clinical Takeaway
Most individuals with a history of Lyme disease in this survey tolerated COVID-19 vaccination without major complications.
However, a small number reported significant symptom flares involving fatigue, neurologic symptoms, pain, dizziness, or autonomic complaints.
Further research is needed to better understand how immune activation, persistent symptoms, autonomic dysfunction, and overlapping chronic illnesses may influence vaccine responses in some Lyme disease patients.
Related Articles
These related articles explore Lyme disease, COVID-19 overlap, neurologic symptoms, persistent symptoms, and diagnostic uncertainty.
The experiences of individuals with a history of Lyme disease who contracted COVID-19
Severity of Lyme disease in a COVID-19 pandemic
Lyme disease symptoms guide
Neurologic Lyme disease
Lyme disease misdiagnosis
References
- Fallon BA, Zubcevik N, Bennett C, et al. The General Symptom Questionnaire-30 (GSQ-30): A Brief Measure of Multi-System Symptom Burden in Lyme Disease. Front Med (Lausanne). 2019;6:283.
- Hubachandani J, Sharma S, Price JH, et al. COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy in the United States: A Rapid National Assessment. J Community Health. 2021;46(2):270-277.
- Rane MS, Kochhar S, Poehlein E, et al. Determinants and trends of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and vaccine uptake in a national cohort of U.S. adults. Am J Epidemiol. 2022.
- Wagner AL, Porth JM, Wu Z, et al. Vaccine Hesitancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Community Health. 2022.
- Troiano G, Nardi A. Vaccine hesitancy in the era of COVID-19. Public Health. 2021;194:245-251.
- Morales GI, Lee S, Bradford A, et al. Exploring vaccine hesitancy determinants during the COVID-19 pandemic. SSM Qual Res Health. 2022;2:100045.
- Khairat S, Zou B, Adler-Milstein J. Factors associated with low COVID-19 vaccine uptake among hesitant communities. Am J Infect Control. 2022.
- Khalid MZ, Rogers S, Fatima A, et al. A flare of systemic lupus erythematosus after COVID-19 infection. Cureus. 2021;13(7):e16104.
- Krajewski PK, Matusiak L, Szepietowski JC. Psoriasis flare-up associated with second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2021;35(10):e632-e634.
Dr. Daniel Cameron, MD, MPH
Lyme disease clinician with over 30 years of experience and past president of ILADS.
Symptoms • Testing • Coinfections • Recovery • Pediatric • Prevention
This is false information ! Tick borne infections cause hypercogulation the vaccine is known to cause blood clots . The Covid vaccine is known to cause immune deficiency & the cardiovascular system just like tick borne infections . Dr Cameron you should be ashamed of yourself circulating false dangerous information
Thank you for your comments. None of the survey participants reported hypercoagulation, immune deficiency or cardiovascular system issues. The Survey was not designed to determine whether these were conditions were present that the participant was not aware of.
Are you accepting insurance for clinical trials?
Hello. I am sorry to say we are not running a clinical trials.
I have had long hall Lyme for ten years. I was a bit unwell after my first two vaccines but since my booster on 05 January 2022 I have been extremely unwell with full blown Lyme symptoms again . Could not function. Only just coming out of it 2.5 months later.
You are not alone. There were others in the Survey who were ill for years with Lyme disease who had a severe flareup with the vaccine. There were others who have had a severe flareup after contracting COVID-19. In fact one in five Lyme disease patients reported suffering from long covid after contracting COVID-19.
I was bitten at 18 and diagnosed at 40. I spent 13 years on several antibiotics and now I’m only using herbals. I have severe shortness of breath and air hunger. I’m concerned about the worsening of these symptoms. After having taken two years off from working, I need to get back to work in healthcare. I feel slightly better about getting the vaccine, but I’m still scared of worsening SOB. It’s been so bad, I thought of going to ER as I feel like my breathing was shutting down. I also am taking a trip to Hawaii. I’m still on the fence about all of this. Thank you for sharing this valuable info!
Thank you for contributing to the body of knowlege we need to make sense of this 5000 piece puzzle. Anecdotally, I had no reaction to the vaccines. My lyme related discomforts are due to immaturaty: I’m an American goddammit, I can eat what I want! No. Can’t eat sugar. So, I’m glad vaccines are no longer dispensed on sugar cubes.
So it has been a few years, since I took the COVID VACCINES. I am now on my 3rd spring – 2022, 23, 24 – of coming down with Lyme. Not a FLARE. I have blood work proof showing I didn’t have it detectable, and then I did.. like 12 bands positive. I am wondering if the COVID VACCINE, somehow affected me.. I was Lyme free… for 2019, 20 and 21? Are we looking at long-range effects of the COVID VACCINE regarding Lyme patients?
I was looking at the role COVID-19 played on patients with a history of Lyme disease. Lyme disease patients with COVID or the COVID vaccine were not much different that Lyme disease patients who did not have COVID or the COVID vaccine. The take home Don’t get Lyme disease. The survey was not designed to address your question.