On December 22 Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), received his first COVID vaccine when the country looked into it. He was joined by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Francis Collins, and a handful of frontline workers. It has been almost a week since he received the vaccine, and he reports that he has experienced very minor reactions. However, Fauci already expects one specific side effect when he returns to his second dose of vaccine. Read on to learn what he is preparing for when he returns for his next shot, and for major misconceptions in vaccines, Dr. Fauci just uncovered the 4 biggest myths about the COVID vaccine.
“When I get the boost, I might feel a little painful,” Fauci told CNNs Dana Bash while State of the Union on December 27th. Fauci explained that this reaction would be “because the immune system will increase even more” to build up immunity. The NIAID director says he will shoot the booster in about three weeks. And for those who want to be eager, you can get your COVID vaccine sooner than you did in 2020.
After receiving the Moderna vaccine on live TV, Fauci reported that he had experienced “nothing serious” regarding side effects. “The only thing I had was about six to ten hours after the vaccination – I felt a little pain in my arm that lasted maybe 24 hours, a little more, and then left,” Fauci told Bash said. “Completely different from that, I did not feel any other harmful effects.”
During an interview with CBS News on December 23, the day after his vaccination, Fauci explained that a sore arm after a vaccine is very common. “These are very typical of vaccinations,” he said. “The same thing happened with other non-COVID vaccines I’ve had over the years.” And sign up for our daily newsletter for more information.
Before the vaccine was even approved in the US, Fauci warned Americans to be prepared to experience side effects from the shot. During a November 23 interview with The Washington Post, Fauci said the most important side effects people can expect are “a little discomfort in the arm, a little swelling, maybe a little pain, [and] fever “for 24 hours.
Now that millions of people have received the vaccine, there have been various reports of the side effects that Fauci predicted, in addition to chills, fatigue and headaches. And for more complications to note, the CDC warns you to prepare for these COVID side effects.
Although most people do not like to get shots, Fauci seems pretty happy with his COVID vaccine. He actually praised the vaccine experience. “It was really pretty good, even just as good or better than a flu vaccine,” Fauci said. And for more information on vaccine deployment, if you live in this condition, you can get your COVID vaccine sooner.