If you’ve already had an appointment for a vaccine or are waiting for your chance, you’re probably curious if you’ll have COVID vaccine side effects, what they’ll be like, and if they’ll be severe. More information on side effects: If you have the Pfizer or Moderna shots, both of which require two different shots, the second shot appears to cause more troublesome (yet normal) side effects.
Furthermore, based on the outcomes of clinical trials for the vaccines, older adults had less severe adverse effects than younger adults, which may be attributed to a combination of reasons that researchers haven’t fully figured out yet. This information is constantly evolving; if more people get vaccinated, the greater pool of data will undoubtedly reveal new details and findings on side effects.
7 COVID Vaccine Side Effects: What You Might Feel After Getting Your Shot
Headache
Thirty percent of those who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines had a fever after the first or second dose. If you have this side effect, consider taking an over-the-counter NSAID pain reliever like ibuprofen or an OTC pain reliever with acetaminophen.
Fatigue
Following either a Pfizer or a Moderna vaccine dosage, fatigue may occur. In clinical trials, though, the second vaccine affected patients more. After their first dose of Moderna, about 39% of those aged 18 to 64 reported fatigue, and 68% reported fatigue after their second dose. Fatigue was documented by 47 percent of people after the first shot and 59 percent after the second of the Pfizer trials in those under the age of 55.
Lymph nodes that are swollen
When you are ill, you will find that your lymph nodes swell. The same thing can happen after the vaccine, and it’s more common after the Moderna injection, happening in about one out of every ten individuals. It may be frightening, but there is nothing to get nervous about.
Nausea
In the Moderna vaccine clinical trials, about 20% of people indicated nausea after the second dose. It’s not nice to feel nauseous, but it won’t last long. Sleep, eat light or bland meals if you’re hungry, and speak to the doctor for an OTC anti-nausea treatment to help you feel better.
Muscle pain
The COVID disease, as well as the COVID vaccine, will cause muscle aches. Muscle aches and pains affected 20 percent to 40 percent of people in the Pfizer clinical trials and 20 percent to 60 percent of people in the Moderna clinical trials after vaccination. It’s a part of the body’s immune system, and some individuals will only have minor aches and others will have more severe symptoms.
Dizziness
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 17% of people who reported side effects said they felt dizzy after getting a COVID injection. Dizziness was the third most frequent side effect people suffered after having either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine within the first month the vaccines were available.
Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a potentially serious allergic reaction that is a rare side effect of the COVID vaccine. Just 4.7 cases per million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 2.5 cases per million of Moderna have been documented to result in Anaphylaxis. Within 30 minutes after vaccination, the harmful reaction might occur. Trouble in breathing, hives or swelling, tightness in the throat, dizziness, and fainting are all symptoms of anaphylaxis.
Symptoms normally appear 12 to 24 hours after the shot. They last about 12 hours on average, but can last up to two days in some people. If you’ve tried everything else and the side effects haven’t gone down for a couple days, or if they’re bothering you, see the doctor.
