More than 57 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed in the United States, with 16 million people fully vaccinated. While surveys show that a third of Americans are still hesitant to get vaccinated, a new report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, released on Friday, is providing more reason to feel confident.
At a news conference, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters that about 50 percent of individuals experience minor side effects after receiving the vaccine, such as headache and dizziness. On a tweet after the briefing, she reinforced the promising nature of the data: “We have implemented the most comprehensive vaccine safety monitoring program in CDC’s history. @CDCMMWR the data reflect that effort and are reassuring about the safety of #COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccines are safe and will save lives. “
While states face obstacles to vaccination, here’s what you need to know about safety data.
The vast majority of adverse outcomes were lower
The report covers the first month of distribution of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, using safety data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Notification System (VAERS) and the CDC text-based health checker known as “v-safe” . ” Between December 14 and January 13, about 13.8 million doses of vaccines were administered, with 6,994 reports of adverse events after vaccination. The CDC classified 90% of them as “not serious”, which means they were temporary and did not threaten life.
The five most commonly reported non-serious outcomes were headache, fatigue, dizziness, chills and nausea – all of which were more likely to occur after the second injection. Dr. Gregory Poland, a vaccinologist and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, says it is “reassuring” and consistent with previous data. “What this shows is the lack of any serious side effects related to either of the two mRNA vaccines,” said Poland. “This shows what clinical tests have shown with the second dose – that there is an increase in … local, systemic side effects that disappear.”
Anaphylaxis was rare, occurring at a rate of 4.5 people per million
The 9% of serious results, says Poland, are not a cause for concern. One of the most discussed was anaphylaxis, a life-threatening but treatable allergic reaction that occurred at a rate of 4.5 people per million. The number is less than the previous forecast of the CDC, which was a rate of 11 individuals per million. Despite previous suggestions that vaccines may cause an increase in allergic reactions, the organization says it is “within the reported range after receiving the inactivated influenza vaccine.”
Two-thirds of the 113 deaths occurred among residents of long-term care facilities and no causal relationship was found
Although individual reports of deaths after vaccination may seem alarming, the researchers found no link between the 113 deaths – 78 of which occurred among long-term residents – and the vaccine. “Causes of death reported in [long-term care facility] residents after the COVID-19 vaccination are consistent with the expected mortality from all causes in this population, “says the report.” Among deaths in people with an available death certificate and autopsy information that is not [long-term care facility] residents, the causes of death were consistent with overall all-cause mortality and did not indicate any unexpected pattern that might suggest a causal relationship to vaccination. “
Poland says this data is expected. “What this shows clearly is what we all think anyway, and that all of these deaths are unrelated,” says Poland. “We would expect, in fact, a greater number of deaths [among the long-term facility residents] by chance, given the medical condition of these individuals. “
More than 200 women reported becoming pregnant after vaccination
The report also adds more evidence to dismiss the widely circulated myth that the vaccine can interfere with pregnancy or cause infertility in women. The CDC writes that more than 10,000 women were pregnant at the time of vaccination and another 262 received a positive pregnancy test after vaccination.
Poland says the end result is that the benefits far outweigh the risks. “Except for someone who has an anaphylactic reaction to a component of this vaccine, they are safe, they are effective,” says Poland. He adds that it is important to set expectations. “You will probably have some [local] side effects after the second dose, “he says.” This does not mean that something is wrong – in fact, it means that you are developing a good immune response that will protect you. “
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