Should Severe Reactions to COVID-19 Vaccines Worry You?

3/25/2021

Charlotte Park

Reports of serious reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines are concerning, but should not be deterrents.

At Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska, health care workers began receiving the coronavirus vaccine in mid-December, as did other hospitals in the United States. 10 minutes after receiving the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, a middle-aged female health care worker developed a rash on her face and torso, shortness of breath, and an elevated heart rate. She had no history of allergies. To treat the anaphylactic reaction, she was given a shot of epinephrine, steroids, and an epinephrine drip. As her symptoms sustained, she remained under observation for two days until she recovered.

Her experience is similar to severe reactions other people have had to the coronavirus vaccines. Considering these cases, is apprehension about getting vaccinated warranted? The short of it is that you should still get the vaccine.

There have been more than 28 million cases of COVID-19 and over half a million deaths in the US. The US COVID-19 Vaccination Program began December 14, and about 46.4 million vaccines have been distributed so far, mostly to health care workers, frontline essential workers, and people ages 75 and older. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the two approved forms of inoculation, are given through two doses.

The expected side effects of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are similar and generally mild or moderate. One will typically experience pain, swelling, and redness in the arm that received the shot and chills, tiredness, and headache throughout their body. Reactogenicity symptoms after the second dose are usually harsher. These reactions to the vaccine are the result of one’s immune system being stimulated and the body building protection to the virus.

More severe reactions, namely anaphylaxis, are always a possibility with vaccines. Data from December 21-January 10 shows that early safety monitoring detected 2.47 cases of anaphylaxis per million doses of the Moderna vaccine. From December 14-23, 11.1 cases of anaphylaxis per million doses of the Pfizer vaccine were detected. To provide a frame of reference, there are 1.3 cases of anaphylaxis per million doses of flu vaccine. Still, cases of anaphylaxis after vaccination are rare. To determine whether or not receiving the coronavirus vaccine is safe for you, you should consider a number of factors.

Chief Medical Officer for WebMD Dr. John Whyte says, “If you have ever had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC recommends that you should not get that specific vaccine. You can check out the vaccine's ingredients online. If you've ever had a severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable therapies, you should ask your doctor if you should get a COVID-19 vaccine. Your doctor will help you decide if it's safe for you to get vaccinated.” People who have had a severe allergic reaction from the first dose of the vaccine should not get the second shot either.

It should be noted that those with a history of severe allergic reactions not related to vaccines or injectable medications, such as food, pets, venom, latex, or oral medications can still get vaccinated.

There have also been reports of death after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. However, investigations have proved that there is nothing that inherently indicates a safety problem and no link between death and the vaccine.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been approved by the FDA, but hesitation to getting vaccinated should not be immediately met with hostility. People should thoroughly understand the components and effects of the vaccine before receiving it. The US’s response to the COVID-19 has shown that we need to trust science. Getting vaccinated will protect you and other people and help stop the pandemic.

As vaccine distribution continues, let us avoid sensationalizing cases of severe reactions and present information about them in an open way.

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Ms. Scott is an expert in communications, both spoken and written. Besides leading the staff of student journalists at B-Line, she teaches Advanced Debate and middle school Introduction to Debate, International Studies and Current Events.

She attended high school in the Wichita area where she occupied herself with debate and writing. Ms. Scott obtained her degree in secondary education (speech/ theatre) with a minor in communication studies from Kansas State University. She received her master’s degree in communication from Baylor University in 2018.

She believes every student should be a capable communicator and self-advocate shaping their own future. She finds that both mass communication settings like B-Line and rhetorical settings like debate prepare students for their future.