Why do some people think that long-COVID is really just long-vax?

The idea that long-COVID is really just long-VAX has been debunked already.

Is it sad or ironic that these folks are trying to blame long-COVID on COVID vaccines, considering that long-COVID is less common in those who are vaccinated and protected?

The usual suspects...

Is Long-COVID Really Just Long-Vax?

Not surprisingly, this has been debunked before:

No evidence that persistent symptoms are more frequent after COVID-19 vaccination than after infection, contrary to an op-ed in The Hill
Long Covid is not really just Covid-19 vaccination side effects
Yale Preprint Recorded Patient Experiences, Did Not Demonstrate Vaccines Cause New Syndrome

Is there any new evidence that long-COVID is really just long-vax?

Nope!

Just more anti-vaccine propaganda.

This time in the form of an op-ed that was published in The Hill.

"Millions of Americans are still suffering months or even years after they were infected with COVID. Long COVID as it’s commonly known is a serious and poorly understood problem. But there is also growing evidence that the COVID vaccine could cause a similar disease."

Is it long COVID or long vax? Does the government want to know?

What was the growing evidence?

An op-ed is not evidence for long-vax...

Anecdotes about the patients Pierre Kory and Paul Marik have treated...

And a pre-print survey.

"The authors based the 70% figure on data from a private practitioner who is also a member of the fringe medical group FLCCC Alliance. The op-ed didn’t include any explanation about the methodology used to calculate the 70% figure. This is important, as it provides the necessary information to assess the validity of the results. In addition, other issues make the 70% figure unreliable."

No evidence that persistent symptoms are more frequent after COVID-19 vaccination than after infection, contrary to an op-ed in The Hill

Neither are evidence that COVID vaccines cause long-COVID though.

It's Long-COVID...

In fact, studies suggest that COVID vaccines can protect and keep you from developing long-COVID!

If you are seeing the term "long-vax," it is not because it is getting any kind of real media attention, but it is instead because the same few stories are getting laundered across a network of anti-vaccine websites.

So in pushing misinformation about long-vax, folks like Pierre Kory and Paul Marik (esteemed in anti-vaccine circles) just might lead to more cases of long-COVID if they scare people away from getting vaccinated and protected.

What About COVID Vaccines Causing MIS-C?

Similarly, studies show that COVID vaccines are protective against MIS-C!

"Despite the reports of postvaccination MIS-C, vaccination clearly lowers the overall MIS-C burden, probably by preventing infection. These studies also suggest low likelihood of vaccination triggering development of MIS-C."

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination

Despite a few case reports of children developing MIS-C after being vaccinated, most studies show that those with MIS-C were not vaccinated.

So again, the benefits of getting vaccinated and protected outweigh the small risks of our COVID vaccines.

Is Long-COVID Really Just Long-Vax?