After everything we’ve been through, we finally have an end in sight: a COVID-19 vaccine. But the vaccine is new, and questions about it are understandable. Many people have questions about the safety, and in particular, its side effects.
Thanks to unprecedented, worldwide collaboration from scientists, government, and manufacturers, the medical community was able to focus on the development and production of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, which has resulted in the first two COVID-19 vaccines approved for use.
After approval, many vaccine safety monitoring systems watch for possible side effects. This monitoring can pick up on side effects that may not have been seen in clinical trials and allow experts to quickly study any unexpected side effects and whether vaccine recommendations need to change.
Sometimes after COVID-19 vaccination, mild side effects can occur such as fever, headache, and muscle aches. The most commonly reported side effect is arm soreness at the site of the vaccine injection. These symptoms are normal and actually are a sign that the body is building immunity and the vaccine is working.
It typically takes about two weeks for the body to build an immune response. It is possible that a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and then get sick before the vaccine has had time to provide protection.
With these vaccines available, Michigan has hope on the horizon for a future without COVID-19. Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine and its safety from sources such as CDC.gov/Coronavirus or Michigan.gov/COVIDvaccine.