Berlin.
A young woman reports symptoms similar to those of Post Covid after the Corona vaccination – what follows is a doctors’ marathon.
In May 2021, Felicia Binger, like many other people, was vaccinated against the corona virus. At the time, Germany was in the third wave of the pandemic. For the 29-year-old, whose career as an actress was just picking up speed, it was clear that she wanted to be immunized. “On the one hand, the vaccination status was asked more and more frequently at castings and, on the other hand, my stepfather had lung cancerwhich is why I naturally wanted to protect him,” says Felicia today.
The 29-year-old did not feel well immediately after the vaccination, but thought nothing of it. Two days later her skin was suddenly covered with an itchy rash: hives. Her family doctor asked Felicia if she had done anything unusual in the previous days. Then she remembered the vaccination. “When I mentioned that, the doctor cut me off and said that it couldn’t be because of that,” says Felicia.
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After the hives came more symptoms In addition: First inflammations in the whole body, twitching, burning pain in the legs, then exhaustion, a visual disturbance, cardiological problems. The list is long now. A medical marathon through half of Germany followed for Felicia – but nobody really took her seriously.
Post-Vac: Big rush at special ambulance
192 million vaccine doses have now been administered in Germany, immunizing 63.2 million people with it. For the vast majority of them, the vaccine does Risk for severe cases and long-Covid lowered. In very rare cases, like Felicia Binger, the problems started with the vaccination. If post-Covid-like symptoms occur after vaccination, experts are now increasingly talking about the post-vac syndrome.
So far, there is no uniform definition for this. Bernhard Schieffer, Director of the University Hospital in Marburg, is one of the few people doing research on the subject. “We consider the post-vac syndrome – because there is such a high level of agreement – as post-Covid after a vaccination,” explains Schieffer. While Long Covid describes symptoms that appear up to four weeks after infection, Post Covid refers to those that are still present 12 weeks later. The clinic has now expanded its post-Covid outpatient clinic to include a post-vac consultation. The outpatient clinic is currently fully booked until the summer of 2024, says the cardiologist. “And we still have 7,000 patients on the waiting list.”
Paul-Ehrlich-Institut records 54,879 suspected cases of serious side effects
How many people could actually be affected by Post-Vac is not yet known. Schieffer assumes that the probability of developing post-Covid symptoms after vaccination is around 0.02 to 0.03 percent. “We currently estimate that post-vac syndrome could affect between 70,000 and 100,000 people, more or less strong or weak symptoms have,” says the clinic director.
The Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), which Security of vaccines in Germany, 283,978 suspected cases of non-serious side effects of Covid-19 vaccines and 54,879 suspected cases of serious side effects were reported by the end of February this year. However, this number cannot be used to determine the actual frequency of side effects, as the institute emphasizes that these are only suspected cases.
According to the Medicines Act, side effects in Germany are “harmful and unintended reactions to the drug“ viewed. Serious side effects are those “that are fatal or life-threatening, require hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization, result in permanent or severe disability, disability, congenital abnormalities, or birth defects.” Similar conditions related to the corona vaccination, the PEI announced on request.
Lauterbach promised post-vac research program
That the Corona vaccination Just like other vaccinations, Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has now admitted that it can have side effects. The Federal Minister of Health, who said at the beginning of the vaccination campaign that the vaccination was “free of side effects”, turned things around in March: Lauterbach spoke for the first time on ZDF in more detail about serious vaccination side effects and promised a research program and help for those affected.
Felicia Binger says it’s good that Lauterbach has commented on the subject. “But as long as we don’t have any concrete Help getting it doesn’t do me much good.” During the interview, the actress is sitting in her sister’s apartment in Berlin, where she is currently undergoing treatment. She can’t work. While some of her symptoms have subsided, many remain—including chronic fatigue syndrome ME/CFS. “I’m always faced with the decision of how to use the little capacity I have during the day,” says Felicia. “Sometimes I have to decide whether I want to take a shower or make something to eat. I can’t do both.”
The cause of the post-vac has not yet been clarified
According to Schieffer, the most common post-vac symptoms fall into three categories: “The first complex is neurocognitive disorders such as Brainfogthe second is cardiological problems, for example tachycardia, chest pain or inflammation of the pericardium and myocardium, and the third is nerve pain and muscle weakness.”
Young women in particular are affected by post-vac, says Schieffer: “Three quarters of our patients are female and of childbearing age.” Schieffer is investigating why this is the case. First findings should be presented in the coming weeks.
Another of the many unanswered questions about post-vac is what causes the symptoms – research on this is just beginning. This could be an important factor Spike-Protein contained in both the vaccine and the virus itself. There are no guidelines for treatment either.
Post-vac sufferers often face stigma
Felicia Binger has now tried various therapies – most of which she had to pay for out of her own pocket. So far, there has been little support for people who suffer from post-Covid-like symptoms after vaccination. Basically see that German Infection Protection Act payments by the pension offices for persons who have suffered damage as a result of a vaccination. According to research by the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, more than 6,600 applications were made by March – and only 285 were approved.
However, those affected not only fight for the recognition of their disease, but above all against stigmatization. For a long time she was not taken seriously, not only by doctors, but also in the private sphere, says Felicia Binger. If you say that symptoms come from the vaccination, you are quickly pigeonholed Corona deniers and opponents of vaccination.
“It’s absurd, because we showed solidarity and went for vaccinations,” she says. And Schieffer also emphasizes: “I am an explicit advocate of vaccination. The Covid 19 vaccination has helped us to regain the freedom we now have. ”Nevertheless, it is important that the Science also concerned with post-vac syndrome.
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