Side effects of the Covid vaccine: what to know and why not to worry | World news

As more people become eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine, many are wondering what side effects they should expect and whether there are any differences between the side effects of the vaccines. The short answer to both questions is yes – details are below – although any discomfort is pale compared to the Covid-19 contraction.

We used clinical trial data collected by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to explore the types of side effects most commonly associated with the three vaccines currently cleared for emergency use in the United States. . These vaccines were developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Niaid) and more recently by Johnson & Johnson.

What are the common side effects?

For all vaccines, the most common side effects include:

Less common side effects can also include nausea, chills, and fever. The vast majority of symptoms cause discomfort, but not a total disruption of your daily habits.

Are Covid-19 vaccines safe?

Yes. Their safety is tested in large trials involving tens of thousands of people, then the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to monitor vaccine safety data, including side effects, after clearance vaccines. These are sometimes referred to as phase IV trials. This surveillance goes hand in hand with notification through several vaccine safety registers.

These ongoing studies can help identify the rarer side effects and identify people who may have particular sensitivities to the vaccine, such as the potential for an allergic reaction.

One of the key figures included in the graphs below is the rate of people experiencing side effects after receiving a ‘placebo’ or an injection of saline instead of the vaccine. People involved in the trials did not know whether they had received the vaccine or not. This helps researchers understand the background rate of these side effects in the population.

Side effects of Moderna vaccine

Formally referred to as mRNA-1273, this vaccine was developed by Moderna in partnership with Niaid, but most people simply know it as the Moderna vaccine, which is a two-dose regimen spaced 28 days apart.

A clinical trial involving more than 30,000 participants at 99 sites in the United States found the vaccine to be safe and effective, and people protected against Covid 94.1% of the time. Of these trial participants, 15,168 people received the vaccine and the rest received a placebo.

Side effects of Moderna dose 1

We used the results of vaccine trials to describe the likelihood of people aged 18 to 64 years of experiencing a given side effect within a week after a dose of the vaccine. On average, these symptoms resolved in three days, and often less.