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Dizziness, tinnitus or earache after Covid Vaccine

Covid-19 vaccine side effects on hearing

Last update on Jul, 15, 2021

On July 1, 2021, the latest Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine adverse reactions report was released by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. In this report, any side effects affecting the ears following the Covid-19 vaccine are reported as "Ear disorders". Out of a total of 77.4 million doses administered as of June, 30 2021, 12228 side effects related to ear disorders were reported.

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Ear problems after Covid Vaccines

Ear and hearing disorders are not considered among the main side effects of Covid-19 vaccines, indeed they are considered very rare, however it possible that they can occur. The detected side effects are divided as follows:

Vaxzevria (Astrazeneca): 8810 cases
Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech): 3193 cases
Moderna: 225 cases

Let's see specifically which ear disorders are more likely to occur.

Vertigo, dizziness and nausea after Covid vaccine

In general, vertigo, dizziness and lightheadedness are considered a rather common side effect following the Covid-19 vaccine. However, very often the onset of these events following the administration of the vaccine is not directly related to it.

In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many times dizziness after COVID-19 vaccination can occasionally be a symptom of an allergic reaction ( but this is most common in the first 15-30 minutes of vaccination) or an anxiety-related response, which often occurs after many different vaccines.

According to the aforementioned Covid-19 vaccine adverse reactions report, in UK out of 77.4 million doses administered the episodes of vertigo, dizziness and nausea related to the administration of the Covid 19 vaccine were:

Vaxzevria (Astrazeneca): 2164
Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech): 935
Moderna: 63

Tinnitus and ringing in ears after Covid vaccine

A small but growing number of people are reporting tinnitus after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the aforementioned Covid-19 vaccine adverse reactions report, in UK out of 77.4 million doses administered as of June, 30 2021, the episodes of tinnitus and ringing in ears related to the administration of the Covid 19 vaccine were:

Vaxzevria (Astrazeneca): 3556
Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech): 1149
Moderna: 87

Earache and pain after Covid vaccine

Earache is a rather common symptom and can have many different causes, which is why it is not easy to associate it as a direct side effect of the Covid vaccine, since its onset could be a coincidence.

We will therefore report the results of the Covid-19 vaccine adverse reactions report, that states that in UK out of 77.4 million doses administered, the episodes of earache reported after to the administration of the Covid 19 vaccine were:

Vaxzevria (Astrazeneca): 1924
Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech): 581
Moderna: 49

Hearing loss after Covid vaccine

Sars-CoV-2 virus also causes an inflammatory response and an increase in cytokines. This process is among those implicated in sensorineural hearing loss, which could demonstrate how hearing loss can, in rare cases, be a consequence of Coronavirus, but can it happen after Covid vaccine?

The answer seems to be: yes, it can be a rare side effect of Covid vaccine. In fact, according to the aforementioned Covid-19 vaccine adverse reactions report, in UK out of 77.4 million doses administered, the episodes of hearing loss related to the administration of the Covid 19 vaccine were:

Vaxzevria (Astrazeneca): 676
Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech): 323
Moderna: 15

The main types of hearing loss involved were:

Hearing loss (no specifications): 464
Bilateral hearing loss: 21
Sensorineural hearing loss: 43
Transitory hearing loss: 7
Hypoacusis: 215
Sudden hearing loss: 86

Very rare ear disorders related to vaccine

Other very rare side effects reported after Covid vaccine administration and classified as ear disorders are:

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Clogged ears and Covid vaccine

The sensation of a clogged ear can have numerous causes, including a plug of earwax, an otitis or the presence of water in the ear. This indicates that the sensation of muffled ear is very common, however at the moment no direct link with the administration of vaccine for Covid-19 has been reported or certified.

Can Covid-19 vaccine cause otitis?

As reported for plugged ears, otitis can also have several causes and it is common for this ear pathology to appear much more often in the summer, due to the water trapped in the ear which can lead to swimmer's ear. However, at the moment no direct link between otitis and the Covid-19 vaccine has been certified.