On December 11, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization (EUA) for a vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older. The emergency use authorization allows the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to be distributed in the U.S.
Yet, with the arrival of the first coronavirus vaccine came the arrival of the first reported severe side effects—two medical workers in the U.K. had a bad allergic reaction, leading to the FDA today to warn Americans that if they have a history of severe allergic reactions, they should not take the vaccine, either.
The most commonly reported side effects, which typically lasted several days, were pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, and fever. Of note, more people experienced these side effects after the second dose than after the first dose, so it is important for vaccination providers and recipients to expect that there may be some side effects after either dose, but even more so after the second dose.
When asked about other potential side effects, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, pointed out that most are temporary and not to be worried about.
As for yourself, discuss these issues with a medical professional if you have cause for concern, and until we're all vaccinated: Wear a face mask, social distance, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you're not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene and to protect your life and the lives of others.
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