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Health experts have debated the need for booster vaccines in recent months, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently authorizing a Pfizer booster for some groups of people at high risk. for severe COVID. This additional injection is only available to those who received the Pfizer vaccine for their first two doses. Moderna recipients are advised to wait until a booster dose is approved for their specific vaccine, which the White House COVID adviser Antoine Fauci, MD, said it would likely happen “relatively soon.” But if you’ve got Moderna and you’re biding your turn, you can always prepare for what the next hit will be, thanks to new research from the CDC documenting the potential side effects of a Moderna booster.
RELATED: Moderna Now Says Vaccine Protection Wanes After This Long Time.
On September 28, the CDC released a report highlighting the experience of more than 22,000 registered v-safe volunteers who completed a health survey after receiving a third dose of the vaccine between August 12 and September 19. . The agency’s v-safe program allows people to report their reactions to the vaccine via their smartphones, and just over 10,400 people have reported their experience after receiving three doses of the Moderna vaccine.
Local reactions to the Moderna booster were the most common, according to the report. More than 80 percent of those who received a third dose of this vaccine reported at least one local reaction at the injection site. The most frequently reported local reaction was pain at the injection site, experienced by 75.9 percent. Other local reactions included swelling for 33.6%, redness for 25.2% and itching for 20%.
Just over 75 percent of those who received a third dose of Moderna reported at least one systemic reaction. In terms of systemic side effects, the most frequently experienced was fatigue, reported by 61.8 percent. Other reactions included muscle pain for 49.8 percent, headache for 49 percent, fever for 36.4 percent, joint pain for 33 percent, chills for 31.3 percent, nausea for 18.8 percent, diarrhea for 9.9 percent, abdominal pain for 8.4 percent, rash for 2.3 percent, and vomiting for 2.2 percent.
In terms of health impact, 35.2% of those who received this additional Moderna injection said they were unable to perform normal daily activities after the dose, and 13.7 had stated that they were not able to go to work or go to school after the dose. But the researchers say this is expected and consistent with reactions after the first two doses of Moderna. Local reactions after the third dose were reported somewhat more frequently than after the second, while systemic reactions were reported less frequently after this additional injection.
“The adverse reaction patterns seen after the third dose of Moderna vaccine were consistent with reactions previously described after receiving the second dose,” the CDC said.
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According to the report, more people appeared to experience reactions after a third dose of Moderna’s vaccine than an additional dose of Pfizer. Only about 70 percent of Pfizer recipients experienced at least one injection site reaction after the third dose, and only 65 percent reported at least one systemic reaction. This is no different from what happened after the first two doses. An April study published in JAMA Insights found that those who received the Moderna vaccine experienced more side effects with the first and second vaccines compared to those who received Pfizer.
The likely difference comes from the amount of mRNA included in each of the vaccines. Moderna’s vaccine has 100 micrograms, while Pfizer’s has only 30 micrograms. This means that the likelihood of side effects may change depending on what the FDA approves for the Moderna recall. According to reports, the agency is considering allowing a smaller half-dose of 50 micrograms for this booster instead of a full dose of 100 micrograms, which could reduce the number of people with reactions.
RELATED: CDC Director Says If You Want A Booster, Don’t Do It Right Now.
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