No side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine. Does that mean it doesn’t work? [WE EXPLAIN]

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Swelling, redness, headache, fever – these are the most common symptoms after the COVID-19 vaccine. What if there are no side effects? Does that mean the vaccine is not working?

1. In clinical trials, a large proportion of people did not have any reactions to COVID-19 after being vaccinated
2. The most common symptoms are mild symptoms that are not undesirable post-vaccination reactions
3. According to experts, the absence of any post-vaccination effects is not a bad sign and does not mean that the vaccine is not working
4. More information about COVID-19 can be found on the TvoiLokony home page

Side effects of COVID-19 vaccines

Since the beginning of COVID-19 vaccination, a lot has been said about possible adverse reactions. Of course, there are symptoms that should arouse special vigilance, because they may mean, for example, a severe allergy to a component of the preparation or a blood clot.

1. Editors recommend: Watch out for such symptoms after AstraZeneka. These are signs of a thrombosis

However, it should be remembered that most of the common ailments after injection are not undesirable vaccine reactions.

– We will feel sick – on the first, second, sometimes third day. People perceive it as side effects, and they are included in vaccination – it is supposed to cause an inflammatory response – microbiologist Dr. Joanna Jursa-Kulesza explained in an interview with PAP.

Therefore, an elevated temperature, headache, malaise or pain at the injection site are not a bad sign, but neither do they indicate that the vaccine has caused serious effects.

– Vaccination is nothing more than inducing an immune response, which is associated with the activation of a pro-inflammatory reaction. Hence the fever appearing after vaccination or muscle pain at the injection site – emphasizes the expert.

No side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine

However, many people do not have any symptoms after being vaccinated for COVID-19. Nothing hurts, there is no fever, no rash. So the question becomes: does this mean that the vaccine is not working?

Experts reassure. During clinical trials of the preparations, about half of the people did not experience any symptoms after the injection. During the observation, it turned out that their protection against coronavirus infection was at a high level. Dr. Chris Thompson, a biologist and immunologist at Loyola University Maryland, explains that not feeling unwell does not mean that the body has not responded to the vaccine.

Dr. Ewa Talarek, a vaccinologist, in an interview with WP explains that the reaction to the vaccine is an individual matter. – Absence of a vaccine reaction is not an indication of a lack of immune response. Due to the so-called Individual variability is difficult to predict how an individual will respond to a particular vaccine. However, this does not translate into the quality of vaccine immunity, he says.

1. See also: What Side Effects You May Have After COVID-19 Vaccination? It depends on several factors

On the other hand, Dr. Jursa-Kulesza points out that age may also affect whether there are reactions. – Younger people have more severe vaccine reactions, the response is more turbulent, the body builds up immunity faster. In the elderly, due to the physiological aging of the immune system, vaccination reactions are usually very mild. Very often, such people at the vaccination point say that nothing like this happened after the injection, they did not have to take any medications to relieve symptoms – explained Dr. Jursa-Kulesza.

1. Find out more: Which medications are better not to take before and after vaccination? Doctors translate

Whether you feel unpleasant after vaccination does not depend solely on your immune system or age. Dr. Sarah Coles from the University of Arizona says that it can be influenced by, for example, fatigue and stress. It also emphasizes that each of us can feel pain differently.

Overall, doctors agree that not responding to the vaccine is not a bad sign. However, there is one “but”.

At this point, however, it should be said about the group of people who do not respond to vaccinations. What does it mean? Dr. Jursa-Kulesza explains that about 10 percent the population may be in the so-called anergic group – in these people, administration of the vaccine does not lead to the development of immunity, the preparation does not fulfill its role.

– Therefore, if someone has not noticed any reaction to the vaccine or is a frequently ill person, it would be good to measure the level of antibodies against the S protein in an analytical and microbiological laboratory about six weeks after the end of vaccination – said the doctor.

This test should be done after taking the second dose. The expert noted that there is no such order, nor is it routinely recommended by vaccinology societies.

This may interest you:

1. New data on adverse reactions in Poland. How many clots? How many people have died?
2. Not only on COVID-19! Three vaccinations every adult should do
3. Do vaccines go to waste when someone misses their due date?

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