Lecture abstract:

In this presentation, I will review two patient-led surveys conducted by REACT19. One reviews COVID-19 vaccine persistent symptoms, while the other tracks COVID-19 vaccine outcomes and symptoms progression. I will review current research that React19 is involved in, as well as future research such as a genomics study, biomarkers study, and micro-clots study. Clinical considerations, including possible etiologies, will be explored and common diagnoses and syndromes reviewed.

Dr. Wallskog obtained his medical degree at the University of Wisconsin and completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He completed fellowship training specializing in joint replacement at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, then entered private practice in 2002.

After being exposed to COVID-19 in August/September of 2020, Dr. Wallskog followed CDC recommendations to wait three months before getting his first COVID vaccine. He subsequently developed numbness, weakness, and balance difficulties and, in the following months, experienced periods of severe lower thoracic back pain. He was subsequently diagnosed with transverse myelitis with a demyelinated lesion at the T8-T9 level. Although he has been treated with high-dose steroids and IVIG and has participated in physical therapy, his symptoms are essentially unchanged since his diagnosis in January 2021.

He helped found REACT19, a non-profit that offers financial, physical, and emotional support to tens of thousands of people injured by the COVID shots in the United States.