Question explored with the scientific record
should i get the new pfizer covid shot?
The short version: the new Pfizer shot is a repeat of an old formula, and the evidence for another booster in a healthy person is thin.
The evidence here is a pile of case reports of harm after Pfizer shots: blood clots in the lungs and brain [5, 7], a stroke-like eye blockage [8], nerve damage [3, 14], kidney disease [6, 9], and heart inflammation [18]. These are single-patient stories, not proof of cause, but they are the kind of signal that should make you ask why the long-term safety studies were never done. The one study that tried to weigh risks and benefits was a computer model, not a trial, and it was built on assumptions that favor vaccination [4].
What is missing is the study that matters: vaccinated people compared to unvaccinated people over years, counting deaths and serious illness from any cause. That study was never run. Instead, the evidence shows protection against severe COVID-19 fades after about 18 months, and a booster only cuts the risk of severe disease by roughly a quarter to a third in the first year [24]. For a healthy person, the benefit of another shot is small, and the harm signal, while rare, is real.
My call: if you are young and healthy, skip it. If you are over 65 or have a weak immune system, a booster may cut your odds of severe COVID-19, but the evidence is moderate at best, and the long-term safety data still does not exist. Confidence: moderate.
Sources used 10
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Miller Fisher syndrome following Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
This study presents a case of a previously healthy 24-year-old female who developed Miller Fisher syndrome characterized by binocular horizontal diplopia 18 days after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, highlighting the need for screening for anti-GQ1b antibodies in similar …
DOI: 10.1007/s10072-021-05776-0 -
A Bayesian network analysis quantifying risks versus benefits of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Australia
This study develops a Bayesian network model to analyze the risks and benefits of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Australia, revealing that the likelihood of developing and dying from COVID-19-related myocarditis is significantly higher than from vaccine-associated myocarditis, t…
DOI: 10.1038/s41541-022-00517-6 -
Pulmonary Embolism after Vaccination with the COVID-19 Vaccine (Pfizer, BNT162b2): A Case Report
This case report describes a 58-year-old man who developed pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis following vaccination with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2), highlighting potential adverse effects associated with mRNA vaccines.
DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11061075 -
A Case of Minimal Change Disease after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination under the Age of 18
This case report describes a 16-year-old male who developed minimal change disease following the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, highlighting a potential association between vaccination and nephrotic syndrome in the adolescent population.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1743209 -
Multiple sites of thrombosis without thrombocytopenia after a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
A 75-year-old woman developed cerebral venous thrombosis, deep venous thrombosis, and bilateral pulmonary emboli 10 days after a second Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine dose, without thrombocytopenia or identified thrombophilic risk factors.
DOI: 10.1177/03946320221128534 -
Combined Central Retinal Artery and Vein Occlusion with Ischemic Optic Neuropathy After COVID-19 Vaccination
This case report describes a 34-year-old male who developed combined central retinal artery and vein occlusion leading to ischemic optic neuropathy following Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination, and highlights the treatment strategies that led to partial recovery of vision.
DOI: 10.2147/IMCRJ.S328931 -
Macroscopic hematuria in two children with IgA nephropathy remission following Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination
This study reports two cases of adolescents with IgA nephropathy who experienced macroscopic hematuria following the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination, highlighting the need for awareness of potential adverse reactions in this population.
DOI: 10.1007/s00467-022-05517-1 -
MRI Negative Myelitis Induced by Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
This case report describes a 33-year-old male who developed transverse myelitis following the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, highlighting the potential for rare neurological complications associated with vaccination.
DOI: 10.3988/jcn.2022.18.1.120 -
Booster dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine does not increase risks of myocarditis and pericarditis compared with primary vaccination: New insights from the vaccine adverse event reporting system
Booster COVID-19 mRNA vaccination was associated with lower incidence and reporting risk of myocarditis/pericarditis compared with primary series, based on US VAERS and CDC COVID Data Tracker data from December 2020 to March 2022.
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.938322 -
Waning Protection Against Severe COVID-19 Following Vaccination: A Longitudinal IPTW Analysis of Emergency Department Encounters
COVID-19 vaccination provides significant protection against severe outcomes for up to 18 months after the last dose, with effectiveness declining sharply beyond that period.
DOI: 10.3390/idr17060142