Symptoms of COVID-19 vaccine explained

As people start receiving their second dose of the coronavirus vaccine, side effects are now showing up. Dr. Steve Martin from the ONU Raabe College of Pharmacy explains why, and if we should be concerned. 

In an interview with Your News Now, Dr. Martin explained that side effects from the second shot of the vaccine, also called the booster shot, is expected to come with some side effects in a small percentage of people.

He says that the first dose causes a small response in the immune system when the COVID antigen is first introduced, and the second dose causes a much greater immune response leaving some people feeling sick. 

“They get a headache, fever, chills, body aches, kind of the typical flu-like symptoms that we would describe with the flu," says Dr. Martin. "But those are a natural reaction to the immune system really revving up and doing what it’s supposed to do. We definitely would expect to see that.” 

According to Pfizer, under 4 percent of their clinical trial participants experienced fatigue and headache after the booster shot. Moderna says 9.7 percent of their participants felt fatigue with under 5 percent getting a headache.