CDC Considers New Medical Code to Classify Vaccine Injuries

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is considering a proposal to formally recognize injuries associated with COVID-19 vaccinations as a diagnosable condition that can be recorded in medical records.¹

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), a standardized system used to classify diagnoses, symptoms, and procedures, could be updated under the proposal. Introduced by the nonprofit organization React19, which represents individuals who report reactions, injuries and deaths after receiving COVID-19 shots, the measure would add a specific diagnostic code to the existing framework.¹

New Code Classifying COVID Shot Injuries Would Help to Track, Treat Adverse Reactions

Mary Stanfill, a CDC health information specialist, said the code would allow for providers to “identify, track, and study patients who experience adverse effects specifically related to COVID vaccines.” The codes are also used for insurance payouts, as well as research and statistical analysis.¹

Andrew Nixon, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) stated that public comments will influence whether the plan for the code is finalized. Comments from the public must be submitted by mid-May.

“It’s hard to treat what you can’t define,” said Joel Wallskog, a doctor who developed health issues following vaccination. Wallskog is also co-chairman of React19, and he stated that establishing a code would make it easier to spot vaccine injuries in medical records and could also lead to better research into vaccine adverse events.¹

More Descriptive Language for Reaction Symptoms Following COVID Shots

In March 2026, The New York Times obtained a leaked federal work group report that introduced a new medical condition it calls “post-acute COVID-19 vaccination syndrome” or PACVS. This clinical entity is defined as a “heterogeneous, prolonged symptoms involving multiple organ systems persisting at least 12 weeks after vaccination and unexplained by another condition.”²

The report estimated that COVID shot injuries affect anywhere between one in 33,000 people to one in 111 young and middle-aged individuals.²

Post-Vaccination Exercise Intolerance, Extreme Fatigue, Insomnia

In March of 2025, Yale News reported on a “little understood, persistent condition referred to as post-vaccination syndrome (PVS)” which is characterized by chronic symptoms that developed soon after receiving a COVID shot. The symptoms include exercise intolerance, excessive fatigue, brain fog, insomnia, and dizziness. These symptoms develop within a day or two after the vaccination and become increasingly severe.

Yale researchers are taking steps to characterize the condition and pinpoint potential immunological patterns that contribute to these reactions.

“It’s clear that some individuals are experiencing significant challenges after vaccination. Our responsibility as scientists and clinicians is to listen to their experiences, rigorously investigate the underlying causes, and seek ways to help,” said Harlan Krumholz, MD, co-senior author of the study and Professor of Medicine at Yale.³

Yale Researchers Find Spike Protein in Blood 700 Days After Last COVID Shot

The research team found that some study participants with PVS had detectable levels of spike protein more than 700 days after their last shot. This pattern has also been associated with long COVID. One researcher noted that it was “surprising” to find the spike protein circulation at such a late point in time.

Admission That Every Medical Intervention Carries Risks, Including Vaccines

“We’re only just starting to make headway in understanding PVS,” said Dr. Krumholz. “Every medical intervention carries some risk, and it’s important to acknowledge that adverse events can occur with vaccines.³

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