The Claim:
A post with a graphic photo claims without any evidence that people vaccinated against COVID could experience worsened cases of shingles.
The Facts:
Shingles happens when the varicella-zoster virus (VZV)—the same virus that causes chickenpox—becomes active again in the body. After someone has chickenpox, the virus stays in the body in a resting state. It can become active again later in life, especially if the immune system is weak or under stress.
There have been a few reports of people getting shingles after receiving a COVID vaccine, but research shows that COVID infection itself may be more likely to trigger shingles.
The photo in the tweet shows a common case of shingles. It usually appears as a painful rash that follows a nerve path on one side of the body. There are many photos of shingles as severe taken before 2020–before the COVID vaccine existed.