Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine May Trigger Shingles in Certain Patients: Study

The mRNA Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine may trigger herpes zoster—or shingles—in certain patients after just one dose, a new study suggests.

Vials with COVID-19 vaccine stickers attached, with the logo of U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer, on Nov. 17, 2020. Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

The Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine may trigger herpes zoster—or shingles—in certain patients after just one dose, a new study suggests.

Scientists in Israel found that six women with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases developed herpes zoster infections within three to 14 days of receiving either the first or second dose of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine for the CCP virus, according to a study published in the journal Rheumatology.