Neurologic Safety Monitoring of COVID-19 Vaccines: Lessons From the Past to Inform the Present

Thakur, Kiran Teresa; Epstein, Samantha; Bilski, Amanda; Balbi, Alanna; Boehme, Amelia K; Brannagan, Thomas H; Wesley, Sarah Flanagan; Riley, Claire

The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has triggered a global effort to rapidly develop and deploy effective and safe COVID-19 vaccination(s). Vaccination has been one of the most effective medical interventions in human history, though potential safety risks of novel vaccines must be monitored, identified, and quantified. Adverse events must be carefully assessed to define whether they are causally associated with vaccination or coincidence. Neurological adverse events following immunizations are overall rare but with significant morbidity and mortality when they occur. Here, we review neurological conditions seen in the context of prior vaccinations and the current data to date on select COVID-19 vaccines including mRNA vaccine(s) and the adenovirus-vector COVID-19 vaccines, ChAdOx1 nCOV-19 (AstraZeneca) and Ad26.COV2.S Johnson and Johnson (Janssen/J&J).