The side effects of Covid vaccines are the object of the utmost attention: by manufacturers, Pharmacovigilance and regulatory agencies, but above all by those who have been vaccinated or have yet to do so.
Let’s take a step back: four vaccines are currently authorized and used in Italy, two based on messenger RNA technology (Comirnaty di Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna) and two on the use of a viral vector (Vaxzevria of AstraZeneca and Janssen of Johnson & Johnson).
Almost 50 million doses were administered and over 17 million Italians over 12 years of age (32.5% of the population) completed the cycle.
The most widely used vaccine (not the first to be approved) Pfizer, with 37 million doses delivered; they follow AstraZeneca (10 million doses), Modern (5 million) e Janssen (almost 2 million).
The first dose of AstraZeneca, the second dose of Pfizer and Moderna
In the latest Pharmacovigilance Report, the Italian Medicines Agency (Aifa) speaks of 204 reports of adverse events per 100 thousand doses administered, regardless of the type of vaccine and the severity of the disorder.
The most common are fever, fatigue, headache, muscle / joint pain, injection site pain, chills and nausea: result more frequent after the second dose of mRna vaccines and after the first dose of AstraZeneca.
They are also related to the latter vaccine the very rare cases of intracranial and atypical venous thrombosis (1 case per 100,000 first doses administered, no cases after the second dose), mainly in people under 60, which prompted the Ministry of Health to decide not to use AstraZeneca in some age groups. Not enough data has yet been collected on the Janssen vaccine.
The same day as the vaccination (and the day after)
As for the mild-moderate and therefore non-serious events – which are 90% of the total – the reaction occurred in most cases (83%) on the same day as vaccination or the day after and only more rarely did the event occur beyond the following 48 hours.
After the mRna vaccines – Pfizer and Moderna -, the most frequent reactions are fever, arm pain, tiredness / weakness, chills and general malaise.
The effects of viral vector vaccines (AstraZeneca and Janssen) slightly change: fever, tiredness / weakness, chills and pain at the injection site.
Many women have reported irregularity in the menstrual cycle after vaccination, but to date there is no scientific evidence that the two phenomena can be linked.
Let’s consider two very common effects (fever and arm pain) and a third, particularly annoying: acute and persistent headache.
Why does your arm feel sore after the injection?
Why can my arm be swollen, painful, red after the injection?
There are also those who feel tingling.
First of all it should be said that the pain in the arm – more common with mRna vaccines, i.e. Pfizer and Moderna – it is not perceived by everyone and also common to other non-Covid vaccines.
It may develop a few hours after the injection e last a few hours or days: due toactivation of the immune system.
The intensity of this activation can depend on various factors: age, sex, stress.
In some subjects the inflammatory state is more marked, but this does not mean that they are more protected than others who were fine after the injection.
Sometimes arm pain is associated with a swelling of the lymph nodes in the armpit area, which can take a few days.
All these reactions – well underline – they are absolutely normal and not worrying.
As well as redness and swelling (particularly reported after the Moderna vaccine), due to a temporary increase in blood supply. A unique skin reaction that can occur after vaccination with Moderna was examined in an American study: an itchy, sometimes painful rash that lasts an average of 5 days.
The injection area should not be massaged, if severe pain can be applied ice or consult your family doctor.
Why does the fever come?
The inflammation may go beyond the injection site arm and spread to other parts of the body, causing it in the first place an increase in temperature (fever) and widespread pains.
As mentioned, fever occurs mainly after the first dose in viral vector vaccines and after the second in mRna vaccines.
It usually occurs within two days of the vaccine, and disappears within 48 hours.
In case of severe discomfort, after consulting your doctor, you can take it acetaminophen or ibuprofen (the latter not indicated in pregnancy).
Because the headache comes
A acute and persistent head pain after vaccination need not worry, possibly – consulting your doctor – you can take a painkiller.
On the other hand, there are rare cases in which the headache must alert, but they are easily recognizable.
The headache caused by the peculiar cerebral thrombosis: stabbing and accompanied by neurological symptoms (difficulty moving and / or speaking, double vision).
Even in thrombosis of the veins of the abdomen (atypical site), extremely intense pain is perceived in the affected part.
If you have any of these serious symptoms – for which there is a cure – you should contact your family doctor immediately and, if you are unable to contact him, call the emergency number (112).
In general, it is important to report any suspected post-vaccine adverse reactions, for example through the website www.vigifarmaco.it.
June 27, 2021 (change June 27, 2021 | 14:40)
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