You may have heard horror stories about the side effects and symptoms from someone that has already gotten vaccinated. While those side effects may be a cause of concern for you, it’s no guarantee that you will suffer from the same side effects. Much like with COVID-19, everyone reacts differently. Some people may have severe symptoms, while others may not experience any symptoms. Whatever the case, it helps to be prepared. This is your guide to what to expect after you get your COVID-19 vaccine.
What are some common side effects of a COVID-19 vaccine?
After your vaccination, you may experience pain, redness, or swelling on the arm where you got the shot. Some people may have fever, chills, tiredness, headache, or body aches. These side effects are more common after the 2nd dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but they can also happen after the 1st dose.
What should you do if you experience side effects?
Most side effects will go away on their own and aren’t a cause for concern. However, you should contact your primary care doctor or cancer doctor if the place on your arm where you got the shot gets more red or painful after 24 hours.
Side effects may feel like the flu, but they should go away in a few days. If other side effects are worrying you and do not seem to be going away after a few days, discuss these side effects with your doctor as well as potential treatment options.
Your doctor may prescribe you over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) to help relieve some of the side effects.
If you have a severe allergic reaction after leaving the vaccination site, call 911 right away to get medical care.
A severe reaction may include:
- Trouble breathing
- Hives (large, raised red patches or rashes) on your skin
- Swollen lips and tongue
Although the side effects you may experience after receiving your first or second dose may differ, in most cases they are completely
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manageable and should clear up in a few days. If you have additional concerns about how the vaccine may affect your condition or health, you should consult with your doctor.
RELATED: Should You Get The Vaccine if You Have Lung Cancer?
Should you self-isolate if you come into contact with an infected person?
If you’ve had close contact with someone who has COVID-19, you should:
- Get tested 3-5 days after your exposure, even if you don’t have symptoms.
- Wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative.
- Isolate for 10 days if your test result is positive.
What is the difference between efficacy and effectiveness?
While doing your research on vaccines, you may have heard the terms efficacy and effectiveness thrown around, but do you know what they mean?
Efficacy refers to a result acquired under ideal or controlled conditions. Vaccine efficacy is defined as how well a vaccine performs under the best of conditions, such as in a clinical trial.
Effectiveness is the term that will be most important to you as you go back to normal life after getting a vaccine. Effectiveness refers to a result acquired in settings outside of clinical trials, such as doctor’s offices, hospitals, or other real-world settings.
Overall, the COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be effective in slowing the spread of the virus as well as preventing someone from becoming seriously ill should they contract the virus.
Can you leave right after getting a COVID-19 vaccine?
Not right away. When you get a COVID-19 vaccine, the health care workers will ask you to stay for at least 15 minutes before you leave. This is to make sure you don’t have an allergic reaction or feel sick.
If you have had severe allergic reactions or any type of immediate allergic reaction to a vaccine or shot in the past, tell the health care workers when you arrive. They will check on you for at least 30 minutes after you get the vaccine.
Do you have to get a COVID-19 vaccine every year?
Doctors still aren’t completely sure if you will need to get a COVID-19 vaccine every year.
This content is brought to you by The Lungevity Foundation and the BDO Editorial Staff.
