CLEVELAND, Ohio – Experts say some of the most common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, such as fever and headache, may be signs that the immune system is functioning as it should.
Does this mean that you are “less immune” to the coronavirus if it has no side effects?
Our readers have questions about the coronavirus vaccine, and cleveland.com is getting answers from health experts.
Q. If you have no side effects from the vaccine, are you “less immune” than someone who has strong side effects?
The short answer is no. The severity or number of side effects is not indicative of someone’s level of protection against COVID-19.
More than half of the participants in the clinical trials of the Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines had no side effects, but both vaccines are approximately 95% effective in preventing symptomatic cases of COVID-19, said Dr. Amy Ray, director of prevention of COVID-19. infections at MetroHealth.
They are more common in younger patients and tend to be less frequent in older adults, Ray said.
“You shouldn’t use the presence or absence of side effects as ‘proof’ of immunity,” Ray said in an email.
The immune system has two distinct responses after you receive the vaccine, and the side effects are only associated with the first, said Dr. James Fernandez, an expert in allergy and immunology at the Cleveland Clinic.
This initial response, known as innate immunity, is the body’s first line of defense against a virus, bacteria or other pathogens. It kicks in shortly after you are vaccinated and can manifest itself in symptoms like arm pain or flu-like symptoms, Fernandez said.
Some people may have a very robust response, but most do not, he said.
“If you don’t have any side effects, it doesn’t mean that your immune system isn’t working,” said Fernandez. “It may just mean that it is working properly and is not overdoing it.”
The second answer is adaptive immunity, and that is more important, Fernandez said. Adaptive immunity is the body learning to protect itself against pathogens like the virus that causes COVID-19. The body learns to recognize the virus and produces antibodies that protect it from infection.
Adaptive immunity develops over several weeks after the administration of each dose of the vaccine. That’s why experts say that full protection comes two weeks after your final dose.
“It is really what the immune system does weeks after that is important,” said Fernandez. “I wouldn’t focus on those first vaccine-related side effects to judge whether you’ve had a [effective] answer or not. “
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