COVID Vaccines Myth busting #9

Are the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine dangerous?

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines can have side effects, but the vast majority are very short term —not serious or dangerous. The vaccine developers report that some people experience pain where they were injected; body aches; headaches or fever, lasting for a day or two. These are signs that the vaccine is working to stimulate your immune system. If symptoms persist beyond two days, you should call your doctor.

If you have allergies — especially severe ones that require you to carry an EpiPen — discuss the COVID-19 vaccine with your doctor, who can assess your risk and provide more information about if and how you can get vaccinated safely.

The COVID-19 vaccine was developed with or contains controversial substances?

The first two COVID-19 vaccines to be authorized by the FDA contain mRNA and other, normal vaccine ingredients, such as fats (which protect the mRNA), salts, as well as a small amount of sugar. These COVID-19 vaccines were not developed using fetal tissue, and they do not contain any material, such as implants, microchips or tracking devices.

If I’ve already had COVID-19, I don’t need a vaccine.

Evidence continues to indicate that getting a COVID-19 vaccine is the best protection against getting COVID-19, whether you have already had COVID-19 or not.

A study published in August 2021 indicates that if you had COVID-19 before and are not vaccinated, your risk of getting reinfected is more than two times higher than for those who were infected and got vaccinated.

While evidence suggests there is some level of immunity for those who previously had COVID, it is not known how long you are protected from getting COVID-19 again. Plus, the level of immunity provided by the vaccines after having COVID-19 is higher than the level of immunity for those who had COVID but were not subsequently vaccinated.

Getting vaccinated provides greater protection to others since the vaccine helps reduce the spread of COVID-19.

At the time of vaccination, be sure to tell your care provider about your history of COVID-19 illness, including the kind of treatment, if any, you received and when you recovered. Wait until your isolation period ends before making an appointment to get the vaccination.

For the 2-dose vaccines, are side effects different from the first to second shot?

Both the Pfizer and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations involve two injections separated by several weeks. For these two-shot vaccinations:

If you previously had COVID-19 before being vaccinated, the first injection may cause more noticeable side effects than for people who have not had the virus.

If you have never had COVID-19, you may notice more side effects after the second dose than after the first dose.