Vaccines can cause side effects, such as an aching arm or temporary fatigue. For the corona vaccine that the Netherlands will most likely be the first to receive, the vaccine from Pfizer, we now also know how often these kinds of side effects are expected.
The first corona vaccine expected to be approved in the European Union is the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech. This is the vaccine with which the British even started their vaccination campaign this week. In the United States, too, drug watchdog FDA is currently looking into whether this vaccine is good enough.
As part of this procedure, the FDA has published how often the Pfizer vaccine caused side effects in the vaccine trial participants. About nineteen thousand people who received the corona vaccine took part in this study. About nineteen thousand people also received an injection without a possible active ingredient, a placebo.
Annoying non-serious side effects are common
In the FDA-document states that the vaccine is likely safe enough for conditional authorization. The regularly found side effects are therefore not life-threatening, but they are annoying. 84 percent of the people who received the vaccine had complaints where the vaccine was injected, such as pain or redness.
Also, about half of the people who received the vaccine had temporary headaches, over 60 percent had fatigue and about 14 percent had a fever. These complaints usually lasted for a day. The participants older than 55 years had a lot less complaints than the younger participants.
No evidence of serious side effects
Just like in any group of people you follow for a while, a few people also became seriously ill who took part in the vaccine study. The vaccine did not seem to be the cause. According to the FDA, there were no meaningful differences between the group receiving the vaccine and the group receiving the placebo in this regard.
The FDA did point out that four individuals who received the Pfizer vaccine experienced Bell’s facial palsy, while none in the placebo group experienced it. With this condition, half of the face is paralyzed, causing the corner of your mouth to hang, for example. It is not yet clear whether these four people suffered from this condition by chance, or whether the vaccine plays a role in this. Most people make a full recovery from this condition.
Uncertainty about allergic reaction
What is not discussed in detail in the FDA document is the risk of allergic reactions. The British Medicines Authority Wednesday completely discouraged the use of the Pfizer vaccine in people with severe allergies. This was done after two healthcare workers had an allergic reaction to the vaccine.
Allergies had already been diagnosed in both people. The two health workers are recovering well, according to the British authorities. It is still unclear what exactly caused the allergic reaction. This is now being investigated.
In the British prescription this vaccine already stated that people who are allergic to any of the components of the vaccine should not be vaccinated.
Data on other vaccines are coming
It is not yet known how many side effects are expected with the other corona vaccines. The FDA is expected to publish similar data on Moderna’s vaccine soon. The European Medicines Authority will also publish more information when a vaccine is approved.
earlier Professor of Vaccinology Anke Huckriede of the University of Groningen has already explained that if a vaccine works and thus activates the immune system, it can cause a feeling of flu. How severe these kinds of side effects are and how many people suffer from them can differ per vaccine.
Very rare side effects, which occur for example 1 in 50,000 times, cannot be ruled out with vaccine research prior to authorization. For this reason, preparations are already being made in various countries to map these types of side effects as quickly as possible.
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