Safe and effective vaccination provides significant protection to the public. With many more people getting their second dose, now is a good time to review the side effects people experienced after receiving COVID-19 vaccination. Particularly, the mild side effects (that are considered harmless) and, in some rare cases, the side effects that require medical intervention.
Most people experience common adverse effects that can be differentiated into four categories based on their nature: injection-site-related side effects, stress-related adverse-effects, flu-like symptoms, and allergic reactions.
Injection site side effects are very common because an intramuscular injection is essentially causing a small wound in the arm. The area around this wound is expected to experience pain, redness, and swelling.
Stress-related adverse-effects occur when anxious about the vaccine or needle injection. There could be additional side effects such as turning pale, starting to sweat, feeling lightheaded/dizzy, feeling numbness/tingling, starting to hyperventilate, or losing sensation in the face, hands, or feet. These symptoms do not usually require any paramedic care, but just need a bit of time to recover.
Flu-like symptoms include chills, fatigue, joint pain, headache, mild fever, and muscle aches. Although it might be an unpleasant experience, these symptoms are common signs of the immune system activating. This is an indicator that the vaccine is working and training your immune system to recognize the COVID virus for future interactions.
Allergic reactions may occur when the immune system is hyperactive towards the vaccine. However, it usually happens within 15 minutes of vaccination and is easily treatable by professionals. Since this is the case, it is vital to stay for 15 minutes after receiving any vaccination. An allergic reaction can be presented in different ways: itchy rash, swelling of the lips, face, airway, tongue, increased heart rate, loss of consciousness, sudden low blood pressure, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, sneezing, coughing, and difficulty breathing. Although only 2-5 people per million experience rare anaphylaxis after COVID-19 vaccination, people with previous severe allergies towards vaccination are not encouraged to be vaccinated.
There are other severe side effects, but these are extremely rare. Out of 56 million total doses administered within Canada (as of October 8th, 2021), there are only 4,675 severe adverse effect cases reported (as of October 1st, 2021), accounting for 0.008% of all doses administered. In the table below, the Government of Canada has documented rare side effects, reported rate per 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccination up to, and including, October 1st, 2021.
Rare Guillain-Barré Syndrome has 83 cases reported within Canada (0.15 per 100,000 doses administered). In this case, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nerves of the body.
Inflammation of the heart muscle and outer layer of the heart (myocarditis and pericarditis) has 859 cases reported (1.55 per 100,000 doses administered).
Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), is rarely reported after the administration of the Johnson-Johnson vaccination, with 82 cases reported (0.15 per 100,000 doses administered). This syndrome is caused by the immune system using its antibodies to attack a platelet factor (PF4), activating the platelets and causing a clot.
A total of 188 cases of death have been reported within Canada post-vaccination – 73 of which are unlikely to be linked with vaccination, 71 could not be assessed due to insufficient information, and 38 are still under investigation. There are only six deaths that followed a diagnosis of TTS. Even if taking into account the cases with undetermined causes of death, the death rate post-vaccination is still as low as 2.1 people per million. In comparison, with COVID-19 infection, there are 17,643 deaths per million. This indicates that the risk of death after being infected with COVID-19 virus is 8400 times more without COVID-19 vaccination.
Table 1. Rate of reported adverse events of special interest by total COVID-19 vaccine types, up to and including October 1st, 2021 (n=3,322; n = the total number of people with severe side effects).
It is important to remember that all of these syndromes can be treated without long-term consequences if prompt action is taken. While it is of priority to get vaccinated to protect yourself and others, carefully monitor your side effects after vaccination and consult medical professionals when experiencing severe ones.
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Written by: Hedi
Edited by: María and Natasha
BioDecoded is a volunteer group committed to sharing accurate scientific information. We cannot offer any specific health advice. If you have any doubts about getting vaccinated due to previous health conditions, please speak with your healthcare professional or family physician. If you have any questions about this topic, please comment or send them to our email.
References:
Vaccine safety and possible side effects – Canada.ca. Canada.ca (2021). Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/vaccination-children/safety-concerns-side-effects.html?utm_campaign=hc-sc-covidvaccine-21-22&utm_medium=sem&utm_source=ggl&utm_content=ad-text-en&utm_term=side%20effects%20of%20covid%20vaccine&adv=2122-89750&id_campaign=12876015044&id_source=121197814693&id_content=517692136301&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7MGJBhD-ARIsAMZ0eetJ9ROhkIttFxrfRKacskDovpjuemn4QJZslZ5gxGEQjuBn_4hjd-waAjt2EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds%20(accessed%209.13.21). (Accessed: 10th October 2021)
Canada, P. COVID-19 vaccine safety: Weekly report on side effects following immunization – Canada.ca. Health-infobase.canada.ca (2021). Available at: https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/vaccine-safety/#detailedSafetySignals%20(accessed%209.13.21). (Accessed: 10th October 2021)
Berry, I., Soucy, J., Tuite, A. & Fisman, D. Open access epidemiologic data and an interactive dashboard to monitor the COVID-19 outbreak in Canada. Canadian Medical Association Journal 192, E420-E420 (2020). Available at: https://art-bd.shinyapps.io/covid19canada/
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