Dr. Frank McGeorge shares experience with the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

DETROIT – As vaccinations against COVID-19 continue, we are now at a point where many people who have received the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine have taken the second.

This includes Dr. Frank McGeorge of Local 4 News. He recently opened up about the side effects he had with the second dose, so you know what to expect.

Related: Questions about the COVID-19 vaccine? Ask the doctor

“My experience with the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine was quite compatible with what I expected. Mostly just pain in the arm, where I received the injection, although it was more severe than I had ever experienced with any other injection. The pain responded to Motrin and disappeared in a day. My second chance was a different story, ”said McGeorge.

He shared some thoughts from a video diary recorded after his first photo.

“Something else occurred to me while I was driving home to break the news, an afterthought, three weeks from now, the date on my vaccination card for my second dose of the vaccine, I have three midnight shifts. This was inadequate planning on my part, because, based on the study data, the highest incidence of side effects like fever, body aches and so on occurs a day or two after the second injection, ”said McGeorge.

Fortunately, he was able to reschedule his second dose after the midnight shift.

The data from the study that Pfizer submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for its emergency use authorization clearly shows a significant number of side effects after the second dose.

Almost a third of people aged 18 to 55 had a fever, 35 percent experienced chills, 52 percent had a headache, 22 percent had joint pain, 37 percent had muscle pain and almost two thirds experienced fatigue.

McGeorge was in the unlucky group and felt all the side effects.

He was shot at 7:30 am on Sunday morning and went home to sleep.

At noon, four hours later, when he woke up, McGeorge had a sore arm. During Sunday, he felt good until around 9 pm, 14 hours after the shot.

He started to have body pains. Around ten at night, he took some Motrin. The next 12 hours were really unpleasant.

McGeorge says he felt muscle pain, joint pain, headache, chills and fever up to 100 degrees.

He did not feel normal until 36 hours after the shot.

“I want to be clear. I’m talking about this so that you have an idea of ​​what can happen after the second photo and be prepared. Make sure you have a light day planned for later and have some Tylenol or Motrin around. I talked to many of my co-workers who also took their second dose and at least a third of them had significant side effects, ”said McGeorge.

“I also want to note that I saw the effects of a serious COVID infection. The vaccine is definitely the best choice ”.

O number of confirmed coronavirus cases (COVID-19) in Michigan increased to 525,612 on Tuesday, including 13,501 deaths, state officials report.

Tuesday’s update includes 1,994 new cases and 100 additional deaths.