Local teenager diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome questions COVID-19 vaccine after receiving first dose

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Wyatt McGlaun, a teenager from The Woodlands, said he contracted Guillan-Barre syndrome weeks after his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I wanted to get vaccinated. I felt it was the right thing to do, ”said McGlaun. “I wanted to travel and enjoy my last summer before college.”

However, he said, he became extremely weak and had difficulty walking when he was admitted to CHI St. Luke’s in the woods where he was diagnosed.

“I just knew something was wrong. It wasn’t getting any better, ”Wyatt explained.

The NIH reports a case of GBS in an 82-year-old woman, who also received a dose of the vaccine.

Dr Charles Sims, of the Montgomery County Health Authority and St. Luke’s Infectious Disease Physician in the Woods, said it was more often caused by a viral or bacterial infection and could not say the vaccine caused Wyatt’s disease.

“There have been cases seen in people who have received the vaccine, but they are not at a higher rate than in people who have not received the vaccine. Guillan Barre is seen in one to two people per million per year, ”Dr. Sims said.

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Therefore, Dr Sims said the condition could be a coincidence.

While Wyatt’s parents said they weren’t trying to talk anyone out of getting the shot, but wanted others to know if it was happening to them.

“Do your research,” Joe McGlaun said. “It’s a personal choice.”

“Listening to your body is the biggest thing I’ve learned,” Wyatt said.

Dr Sims said if any adverse reactions were reported to the CDC, they would be investigated. Wyatt’s family said they plan to report it.