STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Side effects such as fever, headache, fatigue and nausea are all signs that the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine is working — triggering an immune response within our body to fight future exposure to the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tells us.
But as many as 50% of those receiving either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine experience no side effects, or very few at all, medical experts report.
Should they be concerned that the vaccine is not working?
Medical research is firm on this, said Dr. Azza Elemam, an attending physician at Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) with 10 years of experience with infectious disease treatment. And the answer is a resounding “no.’'
“The main way we know is that in the trials, less than half of the participants had reactions, but everyone was still 98% immune,’' Elemam said. “We know that everyone who got vaccinated in the trials, regardless of whether they had fever or malaise, was still immune.’'
Vaccine trials were extensive, she said, stressing that “tens of thousands of people were studied.’' And, the speed of vaccine development had more to do with finances than rushed or compromised science, she explained.
“The government put up a lot of money to speed up the development of this vaccine,’' she said, noting that that funding erased risk for pharmaceutical companies, who otherwise might not have invested in research at a slower pace. “So, that let drug companies fast-track the vaccine.”
And the varying reactions people experience after the COVID-19 vaccine are nothing new, she said, pointing to the flu vaccine and others that have been successfully used for decades.
“It’s definitely a known phenomenon with vaccines,’' Elemam said. “If you remember when your kids got vaccinated, some kids have a fever and are very fussy, while others are their usual selves the next day. People’s reactions vary. We don’t know why, but it’s not surprising.”
Elemam said she, herself, only experienced mild soreness at the injection site when she was vaccinated.
She urged Staten Islanders not to let the vaccine’s possible side effects scare them away from being vaccinated when it becomes available to them.
“I think a lot has been made about people having serious reactions, but in comparison to what?’' she asked. “You’re making a decision between the vaccine and the illness. We know that COVID is not something you want to have. We’ve all experienced in our families or friends or relative losses associated with COVID.’'
Yet, knowing about the potential side effects is a valuable tool, she said.
“It’s just something to be aware of, to know that it’s not unusual or unexpected if you do have a reaction,” the doctor said. “You should try to manage the symptoms with Tylenol or ibuprofen and know that it won’t last very long.’'
Nutrition, too, can play a role in managing symptoms, a nutritionist told SIlive.com
If symptoms such as fever persist for longer than a few days, or if a person continues to feel extremely unwell, a doctor should be contacted, she said.
“It could turn out that they’d just been infected with COVID (before being vaccinated) or they just have a completely unrelated infection,’' she said.
Elemam recalled that she treated a patient who was concerned about post-vaccination symptoms, but was actually experiencing them because of a urinary tract infection.
Typically, any after-vaccine side effects are treatable and short-lived, she said.
“In most of the people who do experience the reaction, it is still very manageable with Tylenol or ibuprofen,’' she said. “It doesn’t correlate with immunity. It’s not a bad thing that is happening.’'
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March 21, 2021 at 10:00PM
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If you don’t get sick after coronavirus vaccine, is your immune system not working? - SILive.com
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