Anxiety Caused Vaccine Reactions in Colorado, Four Other States – CBS Denver

New York (AP)- U.S. health officials conclude that it was anxiety, not a shot issue, that caused dozens of people fainting, dizziness, and other short-term reactions at coronavirus vaccine clinics in five states. ..

Experts say the cluster, detailed on Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is an example of a phenomenon that has been recorded for decades from a variety of different vaccines. Basically, some people are surprised by injections so that their anxiety spurs their physical response.

read more: COVID Vaccine Clinic at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park suspended after 11 patients reported adverse reactions to Johnson & Johnson Shot

“We knew we could see this,” said Dr. Noni McDonald, a Canadian researcher who studied a similar case, as a large number of COVID-19 vaccine clinics were set up around the world.

According to the CDC authors, the report arrived from clinics in California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, and North Carolina over a three-day period from April 7th to 9th. The survey was based on interviews and reports with clinic staff.

Many of the 64 affected reports of fainting or dizziness. Some had nausea and vomiting, while others had heartbeat, chest pain, and other symptoms. No one has a serious illness.

(Credit: CBS)

Four of the five clinics were temporarily closed as everyone was vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson and authorities tried to sort out what was happening. Health officials at the time said there was no reason to suspect that the vaccine itself was problematic.

Of the three COVID-19 vaccines approved in the United States, only J & J requires a single dose. The CDC reports that it will probably be more appealing to those who are sensitive to shots and who can be “extremely susceptible to anxiety-related events.”

Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, who leads the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring work and is one of the authors of the study, said some sites advertised as offering J & J shots.

The CDC found that about a quarter of people reporting side effects had similar things happened after past vaccinations.

(Credit: CBS)

The post-shot response differs from the very rare type of side effect that suspends administration of the J & J vaccine. At least 17 vaccinated people have developed a rare type of blood clot that occurs in abnormal places, such as veins that drain blood from the brain, and abnormally low levels of platelets that form blood clots.

Other types of side effects from coronavirus vaccines are not uncommon. Another CDC report released on Friday highlighted the side effects reported by more than 300,000 J & J vaccine recipients. More than half say they have experienced arm pain, malaise, or headaches. One-third reported fever or chills, and about one-fifth said they had nausea.

read more: Colorado suspends use of Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine

However, a cluster of five clinics is believed to be associated with stress.

McDonald’s, a pediatric professor at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, said studies show that 10% to 15% of adults are afraid of injections.

Many people who experience stress-related symptoms are young, and past clusters from other shots involve school students. Some experienced hyperventilation, some experienced nausea, and some reported headaches. And at first there was something that looked like a more serious and neurological symptomatology, she said.

(Credit: Alex McIntyre / The Greeley Tribune)

One cluster reviewed by McDonald’s included 14 U.S. military reserves who developed symptoms after being vaccinated against influenza in 2009.

“Everyone thinks this is the (only) young teenage girl,” McDonald’s said. “Well, that’s not the case.”

It begins with fainting in the first person and can cause a chain reaction of the symptoms of an anxious person who sees or hears the first person. These days, it also responds to Facebook posts and what you read or see on other sites.

(Credit: CBS)

Some doctors call this phenomenon a form of mass hysteria, but McDonald’s rejected the term.

“These people aren’t crazy,” she said.

(© Copyright 2021 Associated Press. all rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. )

Other news: Colorado vascular surgeon discusses precautions when vaccinated with J & J