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The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects clinical trials Trusted Source found that injection site pain, fatigue, headache, and aches and pains have been commonly reported after vaccination.
Since millions of folks have gotten the vaccine out of trials, the very best side effects include pain at the injection site together with chills, headache, and fever.
In general, older adults are not as likely to experience side effects after vaccination.
More than 47 million doses of the Moderna vaccine have been administered to U.S. adults since the FDA issued emergency usage authorizationTrusted Source for its shot on December 18, 2020.
Now, with so many shots going in to arms, we have been able to get an even clearer look in the side effects the Moderna vaccine causes.
Like those included in the clinical trials, individuals have reported pain at the injection site along with chills, headache, and fever.
There have also been several reports of”COVID arm” following the Moderna vaccination, a benign skin rash likely triggered by the vaccine components.
The reactions are usually more extreme following the second dose and also in people who formerly developed COVID-19.
Infectious disease doctors say these responses are to be anticipated, as they indicate that the immune system is doing its job in learning how to identify and fight the coronavirus.
The most common side effects after the Moderna shot
Pain at the injection site, chills, headache, and fever are the most common symptomsTrusted Source people experience after getting the Moderna vaccine.
All these reactions — which are temporary and nonthreatening — suggest the vaccine is performing its job. They generally clear up in a couple of days.
“As the vaccine works to’train’ your immune system to begin developing antibodies, the pain is a sign of the inflammation which occurs as part of this process,” said Dr. Shobha Swaminathan, an associate professor of medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and clinical research site leader to the Rutgers Moderna trial.
Like other vaccines, each person’s response might be somewhat different.
Generally, older adults are not as likely to experience side effects after vaccination.
Recent dataTrusted Source indicate women often experience more side effects after vaccination.
It is unclear exactly why unwanted effects could differ between genders. Some health experts suspect women are more likely to report unwanted effects, while others think there is a biological component.
Many people also have reported skin problems on the arm where they obtained the shot — aka COVID arm.
“This is a pretty common side effect and likely has to do with all the components in the vaccine which are meant to educate the immune system that something harmful is being released,” explained Dr. Anne Liu, infectious disease doctor at Stanford Health Care.
Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic response, seems to be infrequent. Anaphylaxis also appears to be common in women Trust.
Reactions are more intense after second dose and developing COVID-19
The Moderna shot is a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine which educates our cells to make a slice of SARS-CoV-2 protein and then mount an immune response against it.
That way, if someone were to be subjected to this coronavirus, their own body would already know how to fight it and prevent severe disease.
The first dose is known as”the prime” and trains the human body to recognize the virus, based on Swaminathan.
“Since that’s the first exposure, reactions are generally mild,” Swaminathan said.
The second dose, the”booster,” further cements the immune reaction.
“Considering that the patients have already’seen’ the vaccine from the first shot, the second booster is an exaggerated reaction to the very same,” Swaminathan said.
Research also indicates reactions are somewhat more intense in people who formerly had COVID-19 because they likely have any level of preexisting resistance.
How Moderna’s reactions compare to other shots
Reactions to the Moderna vaccine are very similar to those reported following the Pfizer vaccine, which is likewise an mRNA vaccine.
Recipients of the Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines frequently reported pain at the injection site and inflammation following the initial dose, along with fatigue and joint pain after the second dose.
“The responses to the mRNA vaccines have yet to be terribly different, certainly not to a degree that an individual should select one or the other based on of negative effects,” said Liu.
In clinical trials, the Johnson & Johnson shooter has been associated with milder side effects in contrast to the mRNA shots.
“Since Moderna and Pfizer require two shots and most side effects were from the second shot, the J&J vaccine may have slightly fewer side effects,” said Swaminathan.
The bottom line
With over 47 million doses of this Moderna vaccine administered to Americans, we are getting a clearer picture of these kinds of side effects which can occur following vaccination.
Most commonly, individuals experience pain at the injection site and redness after the initial dose, together with fatigue and joint pain following the second dose.
Reactions are far more extreme after the second dose and in people who previously had COVID-19.
The responses are to be expected and indicate the vaccine is performing its job in educating the immune system how to recognize and combat the coronavirus.
