With the development of the COVID vaccine, which is now well under way, more than 68,000,000 doses have been administered in the USA. This is promising news, not only for our ultimate safety and to return to normalcy, but also for the sake of data collection: with a much larger pool of vaccinated individuals than the initial pilot groups provided, we learn a lot about what we can expect from the vaccine itself. In particular, there is one common experience that doctors now say people should be ‘prepared’ for: many vaccine recipients have reported that the second dose produces more side effects than the first. Read on to find out more about what to expect, and for more essential vaccine news, Pfizer CEO says this is how often you need a COVID vaccine.
While evidence from the United States is currently anecdotal, a study in the United Kingdom found that the second dose of COVID vaccine does indeed produce higher side effects. The researchers looked at the data of 40,000 subjects, more than 12,000 of whom both received the vaccine doses, and discovered that the side effect increased the second time. After a single dose, 37 percent of recipients reported local side effects, including pain or swelling near the injection site, and 12 percent reported at least one whole-body side effect in the days after their injection. After the second dose, the numbers increased: 45 percent experienced local side effects, and 22 percent reported broader effects.
Doctors explain that this increase in side effects makes sense, given the action of the vaccines. ‘The second vaccine [dose]”Remember that it hit your immune system, and your immune system now recognizes the vaccine, so it does its job,” Kavita Patel, MD, a medical contributor to NBC News, recently said Al Roker. “Just be prepared,” she said, adding that she personally experienced side effects after her second dose of COVID vaccine.
Bill Moss, MD, a pediatrician and professor of epidemiology of infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, agrees with Patel’s assessment. “The second dose is really like a booster dose,” he said. ‘The immune system sees the vaccine for the first time with the first dose and responds to it, and the cells of the immune system are recruited to recognize that acorn protein (the part of the coronavirus that affects the vaccine). So when the body’s immune system sees [the vaccine] a second time there are more cells and there is a more intense immune response, which results in the side effects, “Moss explained.
However, if you do not experience any side effects, it is also completely normal. “If you do not respond, you do not have to be afraid that it will not work,” Patel explained. “Every human being and body is different.” Read on for everything you need to know about the possible side effects, and for promising news about another vaccine, this other vaccine may already protect you against COVID, says study.
According to CDC, the side effects most commonly reported after COVID vaccination, pain or swelling at the injection site are chills, headaches, fever and fatigue. The shiny side? Most people who experience these symptoms say that their reactions have been moderate to moderate, and that it is better to use over-the-counter medications, such as ibuprofen or paracetamol. And for the latest COVID news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
According to the COVID adviser of the White House Anthony Fauci, MD, the side effects of the vaccines are also short-lived. You can expect your discomfort to last up to 48 hours, and most side effects will stop after 24 hours. And for more tips on vaccination, says Dr. Fauci, you will easily make an appointment with the vaccine after this date.
Like the UK, the US has a robust vaccination system to detect potential side effects. If you do feel uncomfortable, ask the CDC for symptoms in the v-safe app, a program designed to collect data during deployment. Once you register, you can expect immediate health check-ups after your appointment and ‘depending on your answers, someone from CDC can call to contact you and get more information’, the health service explains.
While it is true that certain side effects after vaccination are somewhat common, there are also several myths about side effects. Some have mistakenly suggested that the COVID vaccine may alter the person’s DNA or become infected with coronavirus. According to Mayo Clinic and other experts, these claims are false and scientifically impossible. And for more information on the side effects of vaccines, says Dr. Fauci. These two side effects mean that your COVID vaccine is working.