Dr Fauci says these 2 side effects mean your COVID vaccine is working

While the side effects of the COVID vaccine may seem alarming, medical experts have warned that they are generally mild to moderate, only last 48 hours, and are in fact an indication that your injection is working. In an interview with MSNBC on Jan. 28, the White House’s chief COVID adviser Anthony Fauci, MD, recently dropped two side effects in particular that he said should be taken as a welcome sign that your immune system is responding to your vaccination. Read on to find out which side effects are good news, and for Fauci’s first-hand account of getting the COVID vaccine, check out Dr Fauci says he had these side effects from his second dose of the vaccine.

Fauci explained that the two nasty side effects in particular are not of concern, but reassuring. “The vaccine, because you give it in the arm, it gives a systemic reaction. You know this because sometimes after the second dose you feel a little sore, a little cold, which means the immune system is really on its way, “Fauci explained.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this is because the two COVID mRNA vaccines currently approved in the United States, from Pfizer and Moderna, do not inject inactivated virus into recipients. Instead, they teach our own cells to mimic certain characteristics of the COVID virus so that our immune system can train to fight it later, if necessary.

Specifically, COVID vaccines work by instructing our cells to recreate their own version of the “spike protein” found outside of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As more and more cells create these advanced proteins, our immune systems “recognize that the protein does not belong there and begin to build an immune response and make antibodies, just like what happens in a natural infection against COVID-19, “says the CDC. So, if you experience the aches and chills Fauci mentioned, rest assured: it is only your immune system that kicks in to suppress a perceived threat.

Wondering what other side effects you might expect after receiving your injection? Read on for the most common COVID vaccine side effects reported by Moderna patients, and for more information on essential vaccines, see If you’re over 65, you shouldn’t get this new vaccine, warn. the experts.

Joint pain, known medically as arthralgia, is the fourth most common side effect reported by vaccinees: almost half of those who participated in the Moderna trials – 46%, to be exact – experienced this effect specific secondary within hours or days of receiving the vaccine. stroke. And for more information on what you shouldn’t do before getting your vaccine, see If you are taking these over-the-counter medicines, you should stop before you get the vaccine.

Headaches were reported slightly more frequently than joint pain, with 64% of patients in Moderna trials experiencing this particular side effect. According to the CDC, headaches tend to be more frequent after the second dose.

While a study published in the Journal of Virology warned that taking over-the-counter pain medications before getting a shot may weaken the effectiveness of vaccines, experts say it’s good to take them afterwards to treat vaccine side effects, including a headache. And for another possible delayed reaction to shooting, check out This COVID vaccine side effect could appear a week after your shooting.

If you experience sudden exhaustion after receiving your COVID vaccine, you are not alone: ​​about 70% of people vaccinated with Moderna reported feeling fatigued after their vaccination, making this the second most common side effect.

For this reason, you may want to plan your shot when you know you will have time to rest afterwards, if possible, for example, on a lighter work day or at the end of your work week. . In fact, after personally experiencing side effects of COVID blow, infectious disease epidemiologist Saskia Popescu, PhD, recently urged, “We need to make sure people have the opportunity to take time after the shot.” And for more regular COVID news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

The most common side effect reported by Moderna recipients was pain at the injection site: 92% of vaccinees experienced this sensation.

“There are two types of side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine”, Teresa bartlett, MD, chief medical officer at Sedgwick medical claims company, recently said Agitation. While systemic side effects affect wider bodily function (fever, chills, and body aches are all prime examples), “local side effects are more common and involve redness, swelling and possibly swelling of the lymph nodes. in the vaccinated arm. And to learn more about that last side effect she mentioned, check out the rare COVID vaccine side effects doctors want you to prepare for.