As the number of vaccinated individuals continues to grow, more people have reported side effects that can sometimes accompany the COVID-19 shot, including fatigue and soreness.

According to a story reported on by WHDH/7 News Boston, medical experts say the vaccine has been known to cause mild symptoms but nothing that should deter eligible residents from getting the shot.

Dr. Mark Siedner, an infectious disease clinician at Massachusetts General Hospital, had this to say:

The side effects are seen in about 10 to 20 percent of people after their first dose. They’re seen in most people after their second dose.

The most common side effects are muscle aches, fatigue, and headache, but they are all indicators that signal the body is responding properly to the vaccine, according to Siedner.

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Side effects are actually more common in young people, Siedner added.

Siedner explained, "The older we get, the older our immune system gets, and so the less inflammatory our body will be in response to a virus we’ve seen before when we’re older than when we were younger. This is one of the few times that being older is probably better when it comes to medical issues.”

One of the rare side effects of the shot is the formation of a large rash around the injection site, commonly referred to as “COVID arm.” It can be itchy and sore but not dangerous.

“It almost always goes away, so it’s not something that we’re getting too concerned about,” Siedner said. “It’s relatively rare but it’s short-lived and it’s not harmful.”
There is more information to be had by checking out the initial story at WHDH/7 News' website here.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

 

 

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