This past week, an unhinged man in Atlanta committed an atrocity. He went to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) with five guns and killed a policeman. He blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal, and it is reported that he had been reaching out for mental health assistance for weeks.

Since January 2022, I have been interacting with national experts on a clinical problem that has hit home in a very personal way: post-vaccination syndrome (PVS) from the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. It is a poorly defined syndrome, and the exact number of people affected is unknown.

PVS is a term used to describe a collection of chronic and debilitating symptoms reported after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. There are treatments that have improved and induced remission, but none have arrested a problem that will likely continue to occur, related to the syndrome’s natural history or a new exposure to a viral infection such as COVID-19. Expertise is slowly building an understanding of how to treat PVS.

I am certain PVS exists and is related to the mRNA vaccination.

The mRNA vaccine contains genetic information. Once injected into the body, the mRNA goes into the cells, attaching to ribosomes (our factory to make new proteins). From there, it directs the ribosomes to make a protein identical to the spike protein on the COVID-19 virus. Once made, the immune system starts to make an immune response, producing anti-spike antibodies. The original claim was that this production of spike protein stopped within hours to days after the injection.

My patients learned about this after I realized that mRNA vaccines had safety issues. I began advising them to only consider mRNA vaccinations for those who were vulnerable, such as individuals with multiple comorbidities, advanced age, or immunosuppression. There are published studies showing that vulnerable patients who took these vaccines had less mortality and fewer hospitalizations.

I asked my patients to be comfortable with immunity from prior COVID-19 infection(s) or immunity from their previous mRNA injections. I advised them to wait for a better vaccine. The Novavax vaccine is at least as efficacious as mRNA vaccines. The crucial difference is that this vaccine contains spike protein identical to that on the actual virus. The spike protein invokes an immune response and has a predictable decay rate, disappearing within three weeks and thereby eliminating the risk of spike persistence.

Despite Novavax being available as early as November 2021 internationally, the FDA did not grant emergency use authorization for Novavax for adults until July 2022, and initially, its use was restricted based on prior vaccination history.

Patients with PVS most likely have their symptoms because of the continued presence of spike protein. The spike protein is inflammatory and dysregulates the immune system. Research into this is compromised; although we can measure the amount of anti-spike antibody people have by commercial lab tests, we cannot directly measure the spike protein itself. In the U.S., there is no commercially available assay to measure the amount of spike protein in patients with PVS. The absence of this tool is handicapping efforts to treat PVS. A national expert has told me that if one’s spike antibody level is greater than 5,000, they probably have circulating spike protein. The patient below has had spike antibody levels consistently at 15,000, and at times greater than 25,000.

The published LISTEN study from Yale showed that PVS patients have immune profile differences compared to a healthy group, including differences in certain types of T cells. One of the most notable findings was the detection of elevated levels of circulating spike protein (Yale assay for research only) in the blood of PVS participants, in some cases more than 700 days after their last vaccination. This patient participates in this study.

The patient I am referring to is my wife. Below is a letter she recently wrote to our three daughters.

My perspective of what it is like to live with COVID-19 vaccine injury (08/04/25)

Few can possibly understand what life is like as a victim of COVID-19 vaccine injury. People often think, “These people are crazy,” “How do you know it is from the vaccine?” or “You seem fine.” I would probably think these thoughts too if I was not living my life.

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As you probably remember, my issues started almost four years ago, in December 2021, three weeks after dad and I decided to get the COVID-19 booster on Thanksgiving weekend (our third COVID-19 shot). In hindsight, if we had the knowledge we now have, I should never have gotten the booster, as my spike antibody levels were already off the charts, despite it being almost 10 months after my second shot. My levels were already so high that they were above the threshold where they could be read. We thought this was added protection.

But we listened to our government and did what was recommended; we took the third shot. The current theory is that this booster put my system into overdrive to produce the spike protein, and it does not know how to turn it off. My lab results, repeated regularly, prove this out.

As a recap, I have had countless flares, each followed by a brief remission. My flares have been treated with what I refer to as band-aids: temporary fixes to relieve the symptoms but never addressing the actual problem. At this point, nobody knows how to treat the underlying cause; we can only treat the symptoms. All along, I have hoped that my multitude of treatments, including dozens of drugs and supplements, red-light therapy, scans, as well as physical therapy, chiropractic care, and medical consults, might finally knock this out. With my current flare, I have come to the realization this is unlikely.

My current flare is one of the worst physically, since most of my flares have involved only one joint issue, but this one has affected them all: my knee, my elbow, and my neck. More importantly, my two inflammatory markers are far higher than they have ever been. The only way I can describe how this makes me feel is that my body is on fire and it cannot escape. My previous flares quickly responded to treatments, particularly oral steroids and steroid injections. For some reason, I have now become resistant to steroids; they have not helped my current symptoms, nor have I had my usual steroid side effects such as high energy, night sweats, flushed face, and sleeplessness.

More importantly, emotionally, this one is the worst, as it has finally hit me that this most likely is my new life. All my life, I have been proud of how I take care of myself. I eat well, I get regular exercise, I consume minimal alcohol, I have never smoked, and I have always gotten good restorative sleep. I truly believed in moderation. I also believed that taking care of oneself is the best way to ensure a healthy life.

But now, I am beginning to realize that my life may have permanently changed, and it is not for the better. This has been a bitter pill to swallow, and while I will not give up hope, I am also a realist who weighs the facts of reality and moves forward from there.

I try not to focus on my anger toward the reason I have been cursed with this issue. It would be easier for me to accept my condition if it was caused by not taking good care of myself, or from a genetic cause. But my issue is caused by the American public being told to take these vaccines, clearly without proper testing, and succumbing to the pressure of the pharmaceutical industry. I feel like I have done all the right things, and look where it has left me.

I also work hard to suppress the fear that sometimes creeps in. What will be next? Will this flare get better or worse? Will I have to live with this forever? And worst of all, what is this doing to me long-term?

My goal is to make my situation known. There is much for people to learn from this, especially because people are continuing to get mRNA vaccines. Think twice before getting another booster. I want people to understand the reality some are facing from the negative effects of this vaccine. This is not about made-up symptoms; these are issues backed up by physical examinations, imaging, and modern-day lab tests.

I realize that lately I have not been myself. I am trying my best, but I have been changed—both physically and emotionally. I am not looking for pity, because I still try to do it all, but when I cannot, I hope you can understand. Pity is the opposite of who I am; as you know, I am the great minimizer. I will become angry if anyone feels sorry for me, as this is not my purpose.

As I often say, nobody has ever accused me of being bashful, so if I say I do not want help, I mean it; I do not want special treatment. But on the other hand, I may need some understanding. If I say something that does not sound like me, please gently let me know this is not how I should be, but also understand the current “me.”

I love you all very much,
Mom

Our family, and I am sure many others, has been indelibly impacted by PVS, a syndrome most do not know exists. It is debilitating both physically and emotionally, as my wife’s experience testifies. Unfortunately, only a few, such as the Yale investigators, are intensively studying PVS. We desperately need a fuller understanding, including the actual incidence of PVS, its causes, its predisposing factors, and hopefully an approach to reclaim a normal immune system. The NIH should initiate these studies, including not only the basic science related to PVS, but immediate studies to treat affected patients.

Harry Oken is a board-certified internist with decades of experience serving the Howard County community. A graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, he has built a career grounded in the belief that strong physician–patient relationships are essential to quality care. Dr. Oken is widely respected for his clinical expertise, leadership, and commitment to medical education, having mentored students and residents throughout his career. Known for his warm, approachable manner, he prioritizes continuity of care and remains personally involved during all phases of his patients’ health journeys, including hospitalizations. In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Oken is active in community health initiatives and values the role of preventive medicine in helping patients lead longer, healthier lives.