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Vaccinologist Develops Tinnitus After COVID Shot, Calls for More Research

man suffering from tinnitus

Vaccinologist and director of the Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group, Gregory M. Poland, MD, who is a leading vaccine developer and pro-mandatory vaccination proponent, has called for further research into the link between COVID-19 vaccination and hearing loss, as well as other auditory conditions such as tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Dr. Poland experienced a sudden and severe onset of tinnitus just 90 minutes after receiving a second dose of a messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID shot in early 2021. “It was like someone suddenly blew a dog whistle in my ear,” he said. “It has been pretty much unrelenting.”1 2 3

The association between tinnitus and COVID vaccination is “worth looking into,” Dr.  Poland said. “[B]ecause whenever a group of people raise an issue, it is on us as vaccinologists and public health practitioners to answer that question as part of the long-term process of building trust.”1

“It’s something that deserves attention.”2

A recent article in MedPage Today reported that Dr. Poland described the tinnitus he has been suffering as “life-altering” and that he experiences it in both ears, although it is worse in his left ear. “[I] can only begin to estimate the number of times I just want to scream because I can’t get rid of the noise or how many hours of sleep I’ve lost,” Dr. Poland said.2

Dr. Poland believes that tens of thousands of people have been affected by tinnitus following COVID vaccination and potentially millions around the world.2 He noted:

What has been heartbreaking about this, as a seasoned physician, are the e-mails I get from people that, this has affected their life so badly, they have told me they are going to take their own life.2

Dr. Poland is Vocal Critic of Those Criticizing Vaccine Safety

Dr. Poland received his medical degree from Southern Illinois University in 1980 and is a Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic and has been director of the Vaccine Research Group since 1998. He is founder of the Edward Jenner Society and has been  editor-in-chief of the medical journal Vaccine since 2010. He has been a consultant for the Department of Defense, as well as a consultant to AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Pasteur, Eli Lilly & Co, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and other companies.4 5

Dr. Poland’s vaccine development and other research work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 1991 and he has received grant funding and royalties from ICW Healthcare Ventures for preclinical studies on peptide-based COVID vaccine for which he is an inventor.4 5

Dr. Poland has been a longtime proponent of mandatory use of influenza and other vaccines and a vocal critic of those, who are skeptical about the safety of vaccines and who oppose mandatory vaccination policies, often questioning their intelligence, motives and integrity. In 2011, Dr. Poland wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine:

Today, the spectrum of anti-vaccinationists ranges from people who are simply ignorant about science (or “innumerate”—unable to understand and incorporate concepts of risk and probability into science-grounded decision making) to a radical fringe element who use deliberate mistruths, intimidation, falsified data, and threats of violence in efforts to prevent the use of vaccines and to silence critics. Antivaccinationists tend toward complete mistrust of government and manufacturers, conspiratorial thinking, denialism, low cognitive complexity in thinking patterns, reasoning flaws, and a habit of substituting emotional anecdotes for data.6

Later that year, Dr. Poland wrote in another medical journal that promoting “misinformation” about a potential association between vaccination and the development of autism in some children, as well as and holding “discredited unscientific beliefs” about vaccination, should be a crime. He said:

There is no law against being foolish, nor any vaccine against ignorance; however, in the meantime the health of millions of children in the United States and worldwide is being placed at unnecessary and real risk through continued deliberate misinformation and discredited unscientific beliefs, and that should be a crime.7

More Than 19,600 Cases of Tinnitus After COVID Vaccination Reported in VAERS

Based on data released by Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) on Mar. 4, 2022, 19,630 people reported developing tinnitus after a COVID shot—up from 12,247 cases reported through Sept. 14, 2021. In an analysis of the VAERS data published in Annals of Neurology, tinnitus is among the most commonly reported adverse neurological events that occur following vaccination.2 3 8 9

In a study published in the Annals of Medicine and Surgery on Feb. 11, 2022 by a team of researchers from Dow University of Health Sciences and Gandhara University in Pakistan and Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar, the authors theorized:

The heptapeptide resemblance between coronavirus spike glycoprotein and numerous human proteins further supports molecular mimicry as a potential mechanism behind such vaccine-induced disorders.

Therefore, understanding the phenomenon of cross-reactivity and molecular mimicry may be helpful in postulating potential treatment behind not only tinnitus but also the rare events of vaccination associated hearing loss and other otologic manifestations.8 10

But they cautioned, “Despite several cases of tinnitus being reported following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, the precise pathophysiology is still not clear.”8 10

Dr. Poland also appeared to want to reassure people that he did not believe his personal experience of developing ringing in his ears within 90 minutes of receiving a COVID shot constitutes proof that the mRNA shot he received was, indeed, the cause of his tinnitus. Emphasizing that epidemiologic studies would need to answer the question, he said:

Temporality is not causality. Rather, it forms a hypothesis, and then what you do is carefully collect information to determine [whether] this potential syndrome or side effect [is] above and beyond the background rate before there was COVID or a COVID vaccine, and is the rate different in people who got the vaccine and people who didn’t.2

World Health Organization Studying Hearing Problems Following COVID Shots

In response to the reported cases of hearing problems after COVID vaccination, the World Health Organization (WHO) is looking into the possible link between these cases and the COVID shots. Cases of hearing loss and tinnitus have come in from 27 countries and the onset of symptoms have ranged from “within minutes of vaccination to 30 days afterward, with most occurring within a day.”11 12 13

In a recent newsletter, the WHO stated:

A potential mechanism for COVID-19 vaccine-associated hearing loss could be an autoimmune process involving molecular mimicry related to the vaccine’s antigen, or bystander activation of autoreactive T-cells that may involve the vestibulocochlear nerve (vestibular nerve is involved in balance and equilibrium functions, and cochlear nerve in hearing function). Involvement of this nerve can contribute to symptoms related to labyrinthitis, which involves both vestibular and cochlear branches of the nerve or vestibular neuritis, which involves vertigo, dizziness and nausea.12

The WHO said that “further monitoring” of an association between the COVID shots is “required” to help create an awareness among health care professionals and patients as to the possible link monitor symptoms in order to “monitor symptoms and seek care.”10 12 13

Israeli Study Finds Increased Risk of Hearing Loss and Tinnitus After Pfizer COVID Shots

An article in The Vaccine Reaction published in February cited a recent study in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery that found a possible association between Pfizer/BioNTech’s BNT162b2 (also known as “Comirnaty”) mRNA COVID biologic and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). The retrospective cohort study of 2 ,602, 557 patients in Israel suggested a slight increased risk of SSNHL.1

Do Not Question COVID Vaccine Safety Said Dr. Poland

Months after developing constant high pitched ringing in his ears after a second dose of an mRNA COVID shot, in December 2021 Dr. Poland dismissed public concerns about the potential risks of COVID vaccines. In a media interview he said, “ Vaccination is ultimately our way out of this, and convincing people of the efficacy and safety of vaccines, as it is with every vaccine, is a monumental task.”14


If you would like to receive an e-mail notice of the most recent articles published in The Vaccine Reaction each week, click here.

Click here to view References:

1 Cáceres M. Hearing Loss and Tinnitus May Be Linked to COVID Vaccination. The Vaccine Reaction Feb. 28, 2022.
2 Henderson J. Vaccine Researcher Who Developed Tinnitus After COVID Shot Calls for Further Study, MedPage Today Mar. 9, 2022.
3 Planet Today. Vaccine researcher develops tinnitus 90 minutes after COVID shot. Mar. 17, 2022.
4 Mayo Clinic. Gregory A. Poland, Biography.
5 Poland GA, Kennedy RB. Vaccine safety in an era of novel vaccines: a proposed research agenda. (Competing Interests). Nat Rev Immunol 2022; 22: 203-204.
6 Poland GA, Jacobson RM. The Age-Old Struggle against the Antivaccinationists. N Engl J Med 2011; 364(2): 96-99.
7 Iannelli V. Gregory A. Poland on Vaccines. History of Vaccines Oct. 12, 2016.
8 Brooks M. ‘Overwhelming’ Need to Study COVID Vaccine-Associated Tinnitus. Medscape Mar. 11. 2022.
9 George J. Neurologic Complications Rare After COVID-19 Vaccines. MedPage Today Mar. 9, 2022.
10 Ahmed SH et al. SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-associated-tinnitus: A review. Annals of Medicine and Surgery March 2022; 75: 103293.
11 Edwards E. WHO examining potential hearing problems linked to Covid vaccines. NBC News Mar. 28, 2022.
12 Rausch C, Yue QY. Covid-19 vaccines and hearing loss and tinnitus. WHO Pharmaceuticals Newsletter No. 1 2022.
13 Valenti M. Hearing Problems Caused By The COVID-19 Vaccine? WHO Examines Limited Cases. International Business Times Mar. 29, 2022.
14 Monzon A. Amid delta variant warnings, experts battle deep-rooted anti-vax rhetoric. KIMT News Dec. 2, 2021.

31 Responses

    1. Good question! I think most of the R&D is driven by products and publishing with a one-size-fits-all industrial product being pushed out. They forget that every human is very unique in one way or another.

    2. I would suspect that they do both kinds of research. You can be assured that money will take precedent over safety.

  1. Just another pompous imbecile doctor he deserves everything he gets.I normally wouldn’t wish ill will on anybody getting the vaccine or not,but this is the type of clown who thinks he’s above everyone else and can make decisions for you.

  2. This is an excellent demonstration of how removed from reality are the executives who promote fear-mongering about those who question vaccine safety. This man would only call for more research when he himself developed a severe reaction to COVID vaccine. Very well written. Thank you.

  3. After more adverse reactions than any other vaccine in history AND 99% chance of full recovery from Covid…
    Insanity stop pushing only the vaccine! There are many safe and proven treatments that work!

  4. It is good that Dr. Poland is calling for research into the covid vaccines causing tinnitus and hearing loss. It would be nice to include calling for research into all the other serious injuries that people have experienced from the covid vaccines. I too have developed tinnitus as well as severe burning paresthesias from head to toe, internal vibrations, twitching, weakness, dizziness and imbalance starting within 24 hours of receiving my first Pfizer vaccine 15 months ago. There are 10’s if not 100’s of 1000’s of people with similar injuries. To this day, no research has been done to look into our reactions or help us. The FDA refuses to acknowledge us. Let us call for research into all of these devastating injuries that have led to chronic debility and even suicide.

  5. What is Dr. Poland smoking?

    How can he not put two and two together?

    Typical arrogant M.D. and vaccinologist. While some vaccines may be safe and effective, he likely took what he considered expert advise before getting his shot. He should have done his own research.

    But certainly he knew that this was NOT legally a “vaccine,” but instead was experimental gene therapy (with never before used mRNA on humans).

    He should have at least chemically analyzed what was in his vial. He gives Mayo Clinic a bad name. We already know the CDC and NIH are not to be trusted. Add to that the FDC, who gets half their money from Big Pharma (obvious influence, so not independent).

  6. Arrogant MD and vaccinologist. He should have known that this was not legally a “vaccine.” It instead is experimental gene therapy, using mNRA–never before used on humans.

    He never bothered to do his own research, just trusted “experts.” Some vaccines are safe and effective. Even veterinarians know that giving too many vaccines is harmful.

    Apparently he can’t add two and two together (cause/immediate effect).
    As a scientist shouldn’t he analyze what is in these vials?

  7. My guess, marketing. Poland’s view is protective of his turf and hubris. A headstone inscription for folks like him might read. “I’d rather die than be wrong” .

  8. I don’t wish injury on anyone but it sounds like karma to me if you are an individual who believes that everyone should toe the line and take an injection that they want to mandate for every person on earth. It’s either magical thinking or insanity.

  9. I wonder if Dr. Poland has ever noticed some of the brain-injured people with autism who hold their hands over their ears. Does he really think that’s just some quirky behavioral issue?

  10. I was pleased to see that MedPage posted the article on his tinnitus experience with the focus mostly on the fact that people are experiencing this life altering adverse effect. I was most struck by his statement you highlighted demonstrating the profound impact it has had on some people’s qualify of life, including wanting to end their life. I did not realize that he had been so critical of those questioning vaccine safety and mandates, though not suprised considering his role. (thank you for highlighting that important history). Let’s hope his unfortunate first hand experience will change his perspecitive on these issues. Even a seemingly “minor” issue such as tinnitus can be devasting to someone’s health. Tragic.

  11. And if your being funded by NIH you are being funded by fauci
    So you can just throw out any and all your studies because they are probably
    All marketing related findings to pump some more money into many pockets.
    Come on people, 4th and possibly a 5th booster shot. Where does it end.
    Can you really say this is effective or terribly flawed if you need these many shots after getting the original shot or shots.
    Where does it end…

  12. Dr Poland appears to put flawed scientific rationale above what used to be common sense. These scientists get so entangled in their illusions that the science is complete or even close to complete when understanding humans. Humans are not just live meat, they are wholistic beings with physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions which fully interact and are fully interdependent. Unless you understand all of those then you don’t fully understand. So Dr Poland needs to step back from his religious belief in science and realise that humans are not and should absolutely NEVER be dependent on one-size-fits-all pharmaceuticals and also that where there is risk, there has to be informed consent. Any doctor, scientist or professor who pushes mandates of any medical intervention has vastly exceeded their authority over another person and is in seriously arrogant state.

  13. Dr Poland appears to put flawed scientific rationale above what used to be common sense. These scientists get so entangled in their illusions thinking that science is complete or even close to complete about humans. Humans are not just live meat, they are wholistic beings with physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions which fully interact and are fully interdependent. Unless you understand all of those then you don’t fully understand. So Dr Poland needs to step back from his religious fervour in science and realise that humans are not and should absolutely NEVER be dependent on one-size-fits-all pharmaceuticals and also that where there is risk, there has to be informed consent. Any doctor, scientist or professor who pushes mandates of any medical intervention has vastly exceeded their authority over another person and is in seriously arrogant state.

  14. This guy disregards the number of adverse events reported to VAERS. He then develops a severe adverse reaction and still doesn’t want to imply causation. He decides “more research” needs to be done instead of stopping mass vaccination until that research is finished. Mass vaccination is not stopping cases or transmission. He’s still toeing the company line.

  15. It is obvious that Poland talks out of both sides of his mouth. He is clearly a control freak with marginal common sense. I personally hope his ears ring continuously causing many sleepless nights the way others have suffered with those damn shots. I know what tinnitus is all about as I have suffered for years and it is relentless. However, I can happily assure you that mine is not from covid shots.

  16. Hate to state the obvious here but it appears ‘Blind Faith” has overstepped this man’s professional opinion.
    Any reactions be it from food groups, medications, exposure to elements must be investigated. The human species is not a one size fits all product.
    Just as some people can chug pints of beers all day, others might die.
    Trump’s Operation Warp Speed Bill rushed what should have been a multi year process to ensure a safe product was offered to the masses. Cutting corners has always proved a poor road to take.

  17. People are realizing that DR. FAUCI deceived this beautiful country and its people..And Biden is going to keep on lying to the Americans to collect money under the table for his campaign.
    I hope soon the Attorney Generals of every state sue him and his partners. The sooner the better.

  18. “[I] can only begin to estimate the number of times I just want to scream because I can’t get rid of the noise or how many hours of sleep I’ve lost,” Dr. Poland said.

    What a crybaby!

    This person has been a nasty, arrogant vaccine-pusher in Minnesota for as long as I can remember. Only NOW that he has suffered a (mild) vaccine reaction himself does he call for “more research”.

    What about the hundreds of thousands of children who suffered grievous harm (including permanent brain damage and death) from vaccines? Dr. Poland has callously disregarded these innocent babies for the past three decades while he was cashing in on constant NIH (Fauci) funding.

    I have ZERO pity for this man.

  19. What a piece of work this jerk is. Arrogant, self serving elitist so fill of himself he cannot admit that this deadly vaxx is not just injuring but killing many tens of thousands, likely hundreds of thousands of hidden death using fixed record keeping. My cousin in Southern AZ is a mortician and he says a huge percentage of the deaths that he comes across TODAY from myocarditis and other heart related deaths, like on the 95 percentile! Car accidents that are caused by heart attacks are up by 90%. This is outrageous that our country’s morticians are not screaming to the roof tops about what they are seeing! More blood clots than in recorded time. This is inconceivable and REAL!!!! I hope this fake MD is driven insane by his tinnitus, that it never goes away, and that he enjoys the hell he is going to be put through like all the others hurt, disfigured and killed by this vaccine ( and the others he supports) ecause it is KARMA.

  20. I find it extraordinary that someone as educated as Dr. Poland could be so blind. Shows what we’re up against. And evidently, he’s not in on the conspiracy, since they didn’t bother to give him something weaker than the standard dose. One would think “they” would be very careful to make sure an important person like that didn’t get any adverse events. Evidently, “they” don’t need to be concerned about that seeing what a faithful believer in the kindness and sincerity of the pharma cartel he is, no matter what.

  21. Dr Poland is between a rock (in this case his tinnitus) and a hard place (his prominent career at the mayo clinic). If he says anything negative about this or any vaccine, he will feel the full might of the institutions he works for. But the ringing is as he says severe and never ending, sort of like a living hell. What’s the poor doctor to do? This is yet another example of the kind of domination that the pharma industrial complex has over its doctors, nurses and staff. It is why so few have stepped out of line. Most who have has paid a terrible price for it.

  22. Dr Poland appears to think he is superior to all other people – in his knowledge and his thoughts. Many of us have spent years educating ourselves on the potential dangers of vaccines and the benefits of natural immunity and how best to improve and sustain our bodies and their abillity to heal and protect. Real intelligence, as we all know, is not repeating the same mistakes over and over again and expecting a different outcome – like continuing to vaccinate children, ruin their own innate immune systems and increase chronic diseases, including allergies, exponentially. The recent study that showed that vaccinated children (versus unvaccinated) are over 50% more likely to have a chronic disease speaks for itself. I too do not wish harm on people but do feel that a lifetime of severe tinnitus is indeed a good lesson for Dr Poland.

  23. This guy’s comments make him sound like an arrogant control freak. I have absolutely no pity for him. If this one of the “best of the best” at one of the most prestigious medical institutions in the country, how can we have any hope in the medical field any more? They are all brainwashed idiots.

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