ALABAMA, USA — Getting the COVID-19 vaccine will help protect you from getting the virus. If you experience some side effects, that is a normal sign that your body is building protection.
Soreness and swelling at the injection site, muscle aches, fever, chills, nausea and tiredness are all common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. These side effects tend to be worse after the second shot.
As more people are being vaccinated, some are reporting other flu-like symptoms. If you do experience symptoms that are not listed as common to the vaccine, health officials recommend checking in with your doctor.
ADPH Assistant State Health Officer Dr. Karen Landers said, "If you start having cough or sore throat or runny nose or other symptoms, that's not from the vaccine. That's more likely to be some other illness and could potentially be incubating COVID."
Severe side effects from the vaccine are more common in younger adults. Dr. Landers says that is because younger people typically have a more robust immune system.
"That does not mean that older persons who have a milder set of symptoms after the vaccine, that older people do not have a good immune response, they certainly can," said Dr. Landers. "It just appears the immune response in older people is probably a bit more silent."
Health officials say symptoms from the vaccine should go away within a day or two and that you can take over-the-counter medications to relieve post-vaccination side effects.
For more information about COVID-19 vaccine side effects, click here.
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