A bout one third of Lyme patients participating in MyLymeData’s COVID-19 Vaccine Survey state they have been vaccinated.
COVID Vaccination Side Effects
Those who were vaccinated report similar side effects as the general population. In fact, MyLymeData participants report slighter lower rates of side effects from the vaccine than those reported by the general population.
It is not clear whether these differences are meaningful, however.
Although the percentage of specified COVID vaccination side effects was lower in the MyLymeData respondents than with the general public, some patients reported Lyme flare- ups (Moderna 28%, Pfizer 25%). (As one would expect, the general public was not asked about Lyme flare ups.) It is possible that patients reporting Lyme flare-ups misattributed COVID vaccination side effects to Lyme disease since many of the symptoms overlap.
MyLymeData participants reported slighter lower rates of COVID vaccination side effects than those reported by the general population
About MyLymeData COVID-19 Vaccine Survey
In January, MyLymeData launched the COVID-19 Vaccine Survey. It asks Lyme patients whether they have gotten the vaccine and whether they had any side effects. It also asks whether those who have not gotten the vaccine intend to get it in the future.
The survey is ongoing, but we are sharing preliminary results from the first 1,200 who participated. We encourage people who have not taken the survey to do so now.
More than 32 million people in the US have been infected with the novel coronavirus, and more than 500,000 have died. Many others have become COVID long haulers, who survived their initial illness but continue to have persisting and sometimes debilitating symptoms.
Are Lyme Patients at Higher Risk for COVID-19?
Many Lyme patients believe that they are in a high-risk category for a more severe disease (61%). A majority of patients believe that their chronic Lyme disease places them in a high-risk category for severe disease (75%).
Approximately 13% of survey respondents have contracted COVID-19 and 14% say that a member of their household has contracted the illness……Join or login below to continue reading.
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