Overlooked COVID Vaccine Adverse Events
By Marina Zhang | May 16, 20234 | Epoch Times
This is Part 7 of an on-going series where we evaluate some of the lesser-known yet common adverse events that are appearing in the research literature and doctors’ clinics and, more importantly, how to deal with them and reduce the risks.
Previously: Musician and singer Emaline Delapaix has consulted at least 16 medical specialists, all of whom believe that her conditions are linked to the vaccine. She has been diagnosed with mast cell syndrome, a potentially deadly condition in which “everything that comes in could be an enemy,” she said.
Jeff Jackson, a man in his late 40s, is a father, son, and former construction worker who used to be self-sufficient.
Yet less than two years after developing a skin-related vaccine injury, Jackson has been cut off from friends and family and lives on social welfare and donations from strangers.
After getting a second dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine at his local Walmart store, he was walking back to his apartment complex when his mother, walking behind him, noticed dark red shapes moving on the back of his head.
This occurred around 15 minutes after vaccination, Jackson said.
The red shapes moved like paraffin wax in a lava lamp, he said, although the movement was much slower.
When he removed the bandage from the injection site, Jackson described a large volume of clear fluid shooting out like a fountain. He had heard of Moderna arm, where the injected area becomes red, swollen, itchy, and may form rashes. But this was unlike anything he had seen.
Over the ensuing days to weeks, Jackson went in and out of the emergency department as plaques formed everywhere on his body.
“There wasn’t a part of my body where skin wasn’t falling off, had plaque, or was turning red,” he said. “From the top of my head to the bottom of my feet, I looked like a burn victim.”
Areas with skin folds, such as the back of his ankles, would also bleed spontaneously.
Jackson had developed lichenoid dermatitis, a skin condition typically associated with drug allergies.
Jackson had developed lichenoid dermatitis, a skin condition typically associated with drug allergies.
The disease occurs because of inflammation between the outer and inner layers of the skin, which are the epidermis and the dermis, respectively. The dermis attacks the epidermis’s underside, causing the skin’s outer layer to plaque and flake off, revealing the raw inner skin.
Worst of all was the pain, which caused Jackson to pass out in the shower twice.
He has also developed ailments, the worst of which is psoriatic arthritis, another chronic skin condition that primarily causes rashes, joint pain, and dents in the nails. In Jackson’s case, his joints and bones have gradually eroded. As a result, his nails and teeth have become brittle, with some even falling out.
Postvaccine Skin Reactions
Jackson is likely one of the worst-case scenarios for skin reactions to the vaccine. But unfortunately, no one has any answers for why he developed these symptoms.
However, most skin reactions reported in the literature have been relatively mild and self-resolving.
“We can conceptualize vaccine reactions as both allergic and autoimmune,” Dr. Jonathan Kantor, professor of dermatology from the University of Pennsylvania, wrote to The Epoch Times.
Allergic reactions to the vaccine are probably rarer, while the autoimmune reactions are more common but tend to resolve over time, he continued.
Common Skin Reactions
COVID arm, which occurs as a rash appearing several days after injection, is a common side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine. The rash can become red and swollen, manifesting across most of the forearms. Most resolve after a few days with or without topical steroids and may not recur if the person is injected for a second time.
While research has documented these rashes as a potential vaccine allergic reaction, Dr. Kimberly Blumenthal, a clinical professor and allergist from Harvard University specializing in drug allergies, said they might actually be unexplained immune reactions.
Another common skin reaction is COVID toes. These reactions were first reported in acute COVID, where patients’ toes develop skin sores or bumps that typically occur after exposure to frigid temperatures. Similar presentations have also been reported after COVID-19 vaccinations.
Allergic Reactions
COVID-19 vaccines can trigger allergic reactions.
Urticaria, a type of itchy red rash, can appear acutely or as a chronic condition following vaccination. While not life-threatening, the itchiness and discomfort can discourage further immunization.
In a Harvard study that followed 271 patients who developed urticaria after COVID-19 vaccination, about 70 percent reported that they wouldn’t get additional doses even if recommended.
Reports of eczema after vaccination have also increased.
Autoimmune Skin Reactions
Many autoimmune dermatological reactions have been reported postvaccination, including:
Psoriasis, a skin rash that may also cause damage to the internal organs
Lichenoid disorders (such as Jackson’s lichenoid dermatitis), characterized by skin plaques and swelling
Lupus, with typical symptoms including a butterfly rash on the face and rashes on the body
Vitiligo, an incurable condition in which the body attacks the pigment in the body, causing white patches of skin
Studies have suggested that COVID-19 vaccines may cause autoimmunity, which occurs when the body attacks healthy tissues. The COVID-19 spike protein has many regions similar to human tissues and proteins, so similar human tissues may also be harmed when the body attacks these spike proteins.
Renowned immunologist Dr. Aristo Vojdani found that antibodies produced to fight the COVID-19 spike protein can react with at least 28 human tissue markers. Some affected tissue markers include collagen, a significant building block of skin, and phospholipids, which are present across all cells.
Microclotting in blood vessels, which is related to autoimmune conditions, can also be triggered by the COVID-19 spike protein produced after vaccination.
“There is also an interesting pattern of finger-pulp wrinkling that has been described as well. When the tips of our fingers do not receive enough blood supply, the skin is negatively affected. Nails will become thinner and more brittle,” said dermatologist Dr. Angela Bowers, founder of Southlake Dermatology.
Dr. Jordan Vaughn, a board-certified internist who has researched microclotting among vaccinated and infected patients, said at the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) conference on April 28 that all post-COVID and postvaccine patients have some degree of abnormal microclotting in their blood.
Viral Reactivation
Reactivation of latent viruses has also been reported after COVID-19 vaccination. The most common are shingles and herpes flare-ups.
Dermatology physician assistant Claire Rogers said she has seen an increase in shingles and herpes flares since the vaccine rollouts in 2021. However, she’s unsure if all the patients reporting these symptoms have been vaccinated.
In recent years, Rogers noticed that herpes and shingles activation have become more severe in the rash distribution.
“Normally [herpes flares] are a little more focal,” Rogers said, but now in more cases, the rash warps on one of its sides. She didn’t see this before the vaccine rollout.
Neuropathy
Tingling, numbness, burning, and pain are the hallmarks of neuropathy. Bowers and Rogers said many patients who experienced neuropathy after vaccination would reach out thinking that they were experiencing a skin condition. However, it’s actually a disease of the nervous system.
One associated symptom Bowers noticed was that areas affected by neuropathy might also develop hair loss, both in the scalp and distal regions. Professor Josef Finsterer from the University of Vienna, for instance, wrote in a study that a vaccinated patient who developed small fiber neuropathy also developed hair loss in her legs.
Conventional Treatments Can Help
Dermatologists are still primarily using conventional therapeutics to treat these skin reactions.
Despite the change in clinical presentation, Rogers said psoriasis and eczema flare-ups have been responsive to conventional treatments of steroids and topical biologics that suppress immune activity.
Low-dose naltrexone, corticosteroids, and intravenous antibody infusions can also help to subside neuropathy flare-ups and autoimmune skin reactions.
Antihistamine medications, such as histamine blockers, can reduce sensitivity reactions, such as urticaria and allergic skin reactions.
Bowers believes that vaccine injuries take longer to resolve compared to long-COVID and non-vaccine-related conditions.
An Indian study on cutaneous reactions reported similar findings. The authors found that while mild, moderate, and severe vaccine-related skin reactions responded to conventional treatment, patients who developed lichenoid diseases after vaccination had a slower recovery.
Some skin conditions may need interventions outside of the conventional protocol.
Bowers found that all patients report some improvement when she gives them medication that improves their blood flow.
“Pentoxifylline has been a medication I’ve found very useful for patients with microclotting. It has been around for decades in the dermatology armamentarium,” Bowers wrote.
Other anticoagulants include nattokinase and aspirin. However, Bowers noted that some patients, especially those with a genetic predisposition to blood clots, don’t respond to anticoagulating treatment.
Realities of the Vaccine-Injured
Jackson likely isn’t the only person who has experienced severely debilitating skin conditions after vaccination. Many choose to stay silent about their injuries.
He feels isolated from his friends. He relies on public donations to pay for daily necessities and medical treatment. He knows vaccine-injured people in worse financial and physical situations than he is are unwilling to come out publicly out of fear of repercussions.
Jackson has spent most of his days researching to find answers and said he has worked out a formula for his skin. It’s a mixture of colloidal silver, neem oil, tea tree oil with aloe vera, and zeolite.
He combines all four ingredients, covers his body with the salve for 15 to 20 minutes, and then takes a shower. He did this for five days, resulting in “complete baby skin.”
Jackson’s endgame is to recover physically so that he can become self-sufficient. He’s still severely debilitated by the pain and suffers from insomnia.
“My parents are in their 70s. I’m supposed to be taking care of them,” Jackson said emotionally. “I don’t want to have my mom come over here and take care of me. I want to be a father for my kids, whom I haven’t seen in years.”
Next: For the many who haven’t experienced any symptoms but are concerned, there may be recourse to prevent these effects, doctors say.
Read Part 1 – Major Countries Officially Report 100 Deaths Caused by COVID-19 Vaccines
Read Part 2 – Vision Impairments in Patients After COVID-19 Vaccination, Doctors Caution Possible Risks
Read Part 3 – Tinnitus: A Common Incurable COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Event, Doctors Share Ways to Help
Read Part 4 – Atypical Small–Fiber Neuropathy Occurrence After COVID-19 Vaccination, Possibly Underdiagnosed
Read Part 5 – Novel Movement Disorders After COVID Vaccination: Patients Misdiagnosed, Treatment Delayed
Read Part 6 – Everything ‘Could Be an Enemy’: Mast Cell Diseases Reported After COVID-19 Vaccination