COVID-19 vaccine side effects: What to expect after your shot
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So far, all three of the available COVID-19 vaccines in the US have a pretty solid track record, especially considering they were fast-tracked. Still, vaccine fears and myths abound, and stories about side effects (exaggerated or not) may make some people more hesitant to get the shot.
Which side effects are par for the course, and which are cause for concern? Here’s what to expect if you get the COVID-19 vaccine, whether you get the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson version — and how you can report side effects to the CDC.
Read more: Do’s and don’ts for getting your COVID-19 vaccine
General vaccine side effects
All vaccines have possible side effects with mild to moderate severity. Typical vaccine side effects include local pain, swelling, redness and sometimes bruising at the injection site, as well as fever and tiredness, says Dr. Roshni Mathew, pediatric infectious diseases physician at Stanford Children’s Health.
With any vaccination, you can expect a bit of pain during and after the injection, says Dr. Thomas Duszynski, director CertificationsBuzz atta Preparations Materials of epidemiology education at Indiana University. He adds that some people may experience chills, fatigue or minor headaches after vaccines.
Sandra Lindsay, a nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, is inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine.
Mark Lennihan/Getty Images
Reported COVID-19 vaccine side effects
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, common COVID-19 vaccine side effects include:
- Injection site pain
- Injection site swelling
- Fever
- Chills
- Headache
- Tiredness
Pfizer vaccine side effects
People who get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will likely experience soreness, redness and swelling at the injection site, and potentially chills and fatigue. The Food and Drug Administration lists a couple of additional side effects for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine specifically, including muscle pain, joint pain, nausea and swollen lymph nodes.
The FDA notes that most people experienced these side effects after the second dose of the vaccine.
Moderna vaccine side effects
For the Moderna vaccine as well, common side effects remain typical: injection site pain and swelling, chills, fever, fatigue and headache (read the FDA’s briefing here). In a company release summing up the Phase 3 clinical trial analysis, Moderna reported that “no serious adverse events were noted in the trial.”
In general, most people report worse side effects after the second dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, both of which are mRNA vaccinations.