COVID-19 vaccine is expected to have side effects, but experts say you don’t have to worry

As the Toronto-COVID-19 vaccine approaches, one question many people ask is, “How do you feel after vaccination?”

Fortunately, there are thousands of people who already have direct knowledge of the expected side effects of these vaccines. Those who are already in clinical trials.

The first Canadians may be vaccinated with COVID-19 by next week, with 249,000 Pfizer-BioNTech injections scheduled by the end of this year.

The vaccine was safe and the side effects that appeared in the study were temporary.

But vaccine research volunteers like nurse Kristen Choi say people preparing for COVID-19 vaccination need to know what side effects can occur-they Instead of scaring you, let us know what you expect when you get the vaccine. Reassure them that it’s okay.

She wrote about attending Pfizer’s trial in the summer, In a JAMA article published this week It is called “Nursing Researcher’s Experience in the COVID-19 Vaccine Trial”.

“Volunteering for the trial felt like an honor, and the 50% chance of being randomized to the vaccine seemed equally compelling to me as a practical nurse. “She wrote in her treatise.

She passed the required screening and was set to be one of the test participants immediately. In this study, half of the participants were injected with placebo and half were injected with the vaccine to determine if the vaccine actually worked.

After the first shot, Hee-seop Choi felt good and didn’t know whether he received the placebo or the vaccine. Her second shot, given the following month, was a different story.

The injection site was much more painful than when she received her first injection, and by the end of the day she “wobbled, chilled, felt nausea, and had a terrible headache.”

She fell asleep, but woke up in the middle of the night and felt even sick. JAMA explained that she was enthusiastic and could barely lift her arms.

At 5:30 am, she woke up again and measured her temperature. It turned out to be a scorching heat of 40.5 degrees Celsius.

“When I saw I had a high fever, it was the best fever I ever had,” Choi told CTV News.

She reported her reaction to researchers at 9 am when the office opened, was told that “many people would react after the second injection,” and that she needed to keep an eye on her symptoms. ..

Both Pfizer and Moderna state that the vaccine can cause side effects similar to those of COVID-19 infection, such as malaise, chills, headaches, muscle aches, and joint pains.

With the Pfizer vaccine, people over the age of 56 experienced milder side effects than the young cohort aged 18-55. The most common side effects are malaise and headaches of all ages, with 60% of the younger group experiencing malaise after the second injection. According to a briefing document submitted to the FDA, only 16% of the younger group had a fever after the second seizure, compared to 11% of the older group.

Hee-seop Choi’s fever was high enough to be considered “severe,” and only 0.8% of participants experienced it after the second dose.

I understand the instinctive fear of Hee-seop Choi after it gets hot, but neither vaccine can give the virus to the recipient.

“It’s probably impossible to get COVID-19 from the COVID-19 vaccine,” Dr. Paul Offit told CTV News. Offit is a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases, an expert in virology and vaccine development, and is currently a member of the FDA committee that oversees and evaluates the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to experts like Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti, an infectious disease expert, the side effects of the vaccine may sound horrifying and unpleasant, but don’t worry in the long run.

“These are really indicators that your immune system is activated, not evidence of the vaccine that is causing you the disease,” Chakrabalti explained to CTV News. “And this makes no difference with the new vaccine.”

“It may be sick enough for you to miss a work day, it’s possible,” Ofitt said. “I think people should think of these as your immune response during normal behavior. When you are infected with a virus or bacterium, or when you are vaccinated, the immune response works. Various called cytokines. It causes this kind of symptom that makes various proteins and changes the function of the immune system. “

Chakrabarti added that it is important for people to know that these symptoms are common but temporary and have “no long-term adverse effects.”

Hee-seop Choi may have been upset by the second shot, but it ended as soon as he arrived.

“By the next morning, all my symptoms had disappeared, except for the swollen ridge at the injection site,” she wrote in a treatise.

She said her symptoms were common to study participants, but most participants did not have all the symptoms she experienced at one time.

Four volunteers vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine developed Bell’s palsy, a weakness in the face, but the company says it has fully recovered.

Nevertheless, such reports can make people hesitant to vaccinate themselves. That’s why doctors say that complete transparency is important.

“I think it’s better to explain to them that this may happen in advance so they don’t get scared,” Ofitt said.

Choi agrees.

“When I hear about the high rate of side effects, I think people can be worried about the vaccine or discourage vaccination,” she said.

“It is very important to take both doses to be effective. Therefore, if you discontinue after the first dose, [because] They didn’t feel good, it could be a problem to get the vaccine to people. “

Vaccines that reach the public have undergone numerous trials across thousands of people to test the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and must be approved by Health Canada before Canadians receive injections. Hmm.

Hee-seop Choi had a rougher vaccine experience than many others, but he does not regret participating in the vaccine trial.

“If I have to start over, I’ll definitely do it again,” she said. “And I would encourage all healthcare professionals and the general public to do the same.”

Now she just wants to prepare others for vaccination.

“Some people need to rest a day or two after vaccination to recover,” she suggested.

“Tell people in advance about potential side effects for healthcare professionals, public health professionals, doctors, nurses, and pharmacists (those who may be involved in providing this vaccine to people). I think it’s important to explain why. “It’s happening,” she said.

“That’s how vaccines work, how our bodies learn how to protect themselves. And we don’t always do a good job of explaining it in detail to people. I think.”

The concept of side effects can be daunting, but Offit pointed out that it is far superior to getting sick with COVID-19.

“This virus actually causes inflammation of blood vessels. Because blood is supplied to all organs in the body, all organs can be affected,” he said. “It can cause strokes, heart attacks, liver disease, and kidney disease.

“Coronavirus does a lot of unexpected things. I think you should be afraid of this virus, and if you have a day or two of these mild symptoms Of fever, fatigue or headache [from taking a vaccine], It’s a very small price to pay for knowing that you have immunity [COVID-19].. “

“I can’t wait to get this vaccine,” Ofit said.

“And yes, I’m very happy to give it to my family,” he said.

Governments and vaccine manufacturers will also continue to monitor these vaccines to ensure safe deployment, as millions more will be vaccinated in the coming weeks.