Most Americans are now eligible for the COVID vaccine, and are also probably now aware that there are a number of side effects that may result from the shot. Fortunately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ensures that these side effects are a normal response to your body mass immunity, but they can still be unpleasant and irritating – so it’s always best to be prepared. And there is at least one lesser known side effect that can affect your entire body. Read on to find out what side effects you may notice from head to toe, and to notice more reactions. If one of these 3 body parts starts to swell after your vaccination, call a doctor.
A study conducted in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology on April 7, 414 patients were examined who reported one or more skin reactions after receiving an mRNA COVID vaccine between December 2020 and February 2021. The most common side effects on the skin included delayed major local reactions, local reactions to the injection site, urticaria eruptions (hives)) and morbilliform eruptions, which are rashes on the whole body that occur almost like measles.
“People can get skin rashes, and it can be surprising and a little scary,” Esther Freeman, Managing director, senior author of the study and director of global health dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital, tells USA Today. And for more guidance on vaccines, these common medications may make your vaccine less effective, study says.
If you have a rash at least four hours after your vaccination, you should be fine. Before experiencing this, you may experience a severe or immediate allergic reaction to the COVID vaccine, which according to the CDC should be investigated immediately by a medical professional. According to the study, delayed skin reactions usually start a day or so after vaccination, but can also be delayed until seven or eight days later.
“For people whose rash started four or more hours after vaccination, zero percent of it had anaphylaxis or any other serious reaction,” Freeman explained. She added that the people who did have rashes on the body “did very well” and “recovered”.
‘It is important that allergic cutaneous symptoms reported in this study, such as urticaria, angioedema and / or morbilliform outbreaks, may not be caused by allergy to the vaccine, but rather relate to the host’s immune response or an immunological response to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. taken for pain and fever after vaccination, ”the researchers explained in the study, and subscribe to our daily newsletter for more COVID vaccine news sent directly to your inbox.
According to the study, more people experienced a rash in the body after the first dose of the vaccine. Of the patients who reported skin reactions to the Moderna vaccine, morbilliform was the fourth most common skin reaction, occurring in 11 patients after the first dose and in seven after the second. For those receiving Pfizer, morbilliform was the third most common skin reaction, occurring in six patients after the first dose and in three after the second dose. And for more information on the different reactions between doses, doctors warn you to “be prepared” for this after your second dose.
If you have experienced a skin reaction after the first dose – even a rash all over your body – do not be put off by the second dose. Freeman noted that those who had a rash on the body were ‘able to go back and get their second dose’.
“People can rest assured that they are getting the second dose of their vaccine,” she said. “Even if you have a fairly impressive result after the vaccination, you should feel comfortable getting the second dose, as long as it has not started within four hours after vaccination.”
According to the CDC, you should not receive the second dose of COVID vaccine in a two-dose range if you have a severe allergic reaction or an immediate allergic reaction to the first dose, regardless of the severity. “An immediate allergic reaction occurs within four hours of being vaccinated, and may include symptoms such as hives, swelling and wheezing (shortness of breath),” the CDC said. And for more advice on vaccine reactions: If you do it after your vaccination makes side effects worse, doctors say.