As the coronavirus vaccine continues to spread across the country, some groups have reported feeling more moderate side effects from the shot.
Although the reactions are expected and should not discourage people from taking vaccinations, experts say there are a few reasons why women, young people and people who have already had the coronavirus may experience more side effects.
What side effects do people report?
Dr. Albert Ko, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, said the side effects seen were mostly moderate, with ‘very rare’ severe reactions. The side effects occur lower than side effects in vaccinations that are often used for diseases such as measles, polio or flu.
Commonly reported side effects include minor symptoms such as sore arms, muscle aches, redness around the injection site and mild fever. Some people have experienced more side effects following their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccinations, and in rare cases, people have experienced allergic reactions.
Vaccine side effects in women
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which analyzed the safety data of the first month of COVID-19 vaccinations, reported more than 79% of side effects in women, although about 60% of the doses administered to women.
Dr Anne Liu, a physician for infectious diseases at Stanford Health Care in Palo Alto, California, said the rare anaphylactic reactions reported occurred almost exclusively in women.
“We do know that anaphylaxis occurs almost exclusively in women,” Liu explained, noting that the allergic reactions have been reported in clinical trials and are not a cause for concern. “We do not know how much of it reports prejudice, such as if women for some reason report symptoms more than men.”
A delayed skin reaction to the Moderna vaccine reported earlier this month was mostly noticed in women.
Liu said the immunological response in women receiving COVID-19 differs from the response in men diagnosed with the virus, which may explain the difference in response to vaccinations.
“Men seem to have worse outcomes (with COVID-19) … Is it that women are producing a slightly more robust immune response? Maybe it’s responsible for some of the differences in side effects,” Liu said, noting that there are differences in male and female immune systems and responses to vaccines, including the flu vaccine. It is suggested that the different reactions are related to testosterone and estrogen differences, but Liu said the link has not yet been established.
Vaccine side effects in people who have had coronavirus
Liu said the data from the original clinical traces showed that “those who had COVID already had a bit more side effects” compared to people who did not, but said the results ” was not so surprising. “
Liu said the different reactions are likely to be related to immune responses. There are two different phases of an immune response. Initially, there is the ‘new immune response’, which Liu defined as the process of recognizing a substance as dangerous, then recruiting immature, memory-forming cells to become mature cells that recognize the specific structure of the substance, and then increase this adult memory. cells ready to react quickly when the substance reappears. The process takes a few weeks, so it takes some time to be fully vaccinated.
The second phase is the “recall” or “memory” reaction, that is, when the substance is reintroduced into the body. This causes a faster reaction to clean the dust before it has a chance to ‘spread everywhere at high levels and infect many cells.’
Since people with the coronavirus have already started the new immune response process, the first dose of the vaccine will be more likely to elicit a recall response. However, people who did not have the coronavirus had the new immune response with their first dose, then the recall response with their second.
“Instead of (the first dose) generating a new (immune) response, which can be weaker … what you see is actually a recall response,” Liu said. “It needs to be faster and hopefully stronger.”
Vaccine side effects in young people
Ko said clinical trial data suggest young people have reported more side effects after vaccinations. He also saw the differences himself.
“It’s something I’ve seen in terms of family members being vaccinated … as well as patients I see,” Ko said. “It’s definitely on course.”
Liu said the difference may be due to changes in the immune system.
“We know that the immune system changes as we get older,” Liu said. “We know that younger people (who contract the coronavirus) have a more robust production of a group of molecules called interferons that are useful in fighting the virus, and this may be part of the reason why older people do worse with COVID. .. The more robust response in young people seems to be a good thing and it is consistent with young people getting coronavirus without a serious infection. ‘
Liu pointed out that similar effects have been seen in other vaccines, as “many vaccines” in older adults are “generally less effective”. As people get older, the human immune system changes in a process called ‘aging’ which weakens the ‘initial inflammatory response to danger signals’ and reduces the ‘ability to make new antibodies’. Liu said these changes usually mean older adults get a different dose of vaccine. As for the COVID-19 vaccines, the efficacy has not been seen in older adults.
“Vaccinations in general usually lead to less response in older individuals than in young adults,” she said.
How can you respond to side effects?
Both Liu and Ko said doctors discourage taking any medication before getting their coronavirus vaccinated, and Ko noted that premedication did not have a major effect on the side effects of the flu vaccine.
“We recommend not using it beforehand, such as Tylenol or ibuprofen,” Liu said. “If you develop symptoms after the vaccination that can be addressed by the medicine, then go ahead and take it, but we do not recommend taking it in advance.”
Liu also said that people who are worried about side effects may also consider having a lighter workload the day after receiving their second dose of vaccine.
Both Liu and Ko stressed that you do not have to experience side effects to know that the vaccine works.
“There is no association between experiencing symptoms and not being able to get an immune response,” Ko said. “People have good antibodies, whether they experience symptoms or not after vaccinations.”
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