CDC Releases List Of Most Common COVID-19 Vaccination Side Effects

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new information about the most common side effects Americans reported after receiving Pfizer or Moderna‘s COVID-19 vaccines.

Some of our friends and family members have already received their Rona shots, and many of them have told us about their experiences. Data submitted to the CDC by the agency’s text messaging system v-safe and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System has generated a list of side effects to expect after getting the vaccine. The outlet reports that the information was gathered from the first month of vaccinations, between Dec. 14 and Jan. 13. At that time, there were more than 13.7 million doses given out.

There were 6,994 reports of what were called adverse reactions following vaccination. More than 6,000 events were described as “non-serious,” and 640 were labeled “serious,” which includes deaths, CNBC reports. Two-thirds of those deaths happened in long-term care facilities. The average age of the people involved in the analysis was 42, according to the VAERS data.

According to the report, the most common side effects included headache, fatigue, and dizziness, followed by chills and nausea. Some people also experienced muscle aches, fever, joint pain, and pain where they received the vaccination shot. As for people who received the Pfizer shot, more of those recipients experienced side effects after the second dose. The side effect of fever and chills was reportedly more than four times higher after the second dose was administered.

While the vaccine’s side effects may be alarming, medical experts say the events are a strong indication that the vaccine is working as it should. Physicians are encouraging Americans to be ready for more extreme side effects with the second dose.

NBC News News medical contributor Dr. Kavita Patel told USA Today there is no need to worry about the second dose. “The second vaccine (dose) — think of it as having that hit to your immune system, and your immune system now recognizes the vaccine, so it does its job,” explained Patel, who said that she herself had had a reaction to the second dose. “… I felt, for about 36 hours, like I had the flu.”