5 reasons healthcare workers are not worried about vaccine side effects

1. Side effects are common when drugs and vaccines enter the body. For vaccines, side effects are likely signs that the vaccine is achieving its primary purpose — priming the body to produce antibodies (fighters) against the infection. Therefore, side effects are not bad. They point to the good of vaccines.
2. Side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine are mild and short lived. By contrast, the benefits of the vaccine can last years! Anyone who has ever had a vaccine knows there can be short-term side effects. These often include a sore arm or feeling fatigued for a day or two. The COVID-19 vaccine is no different. One of the largest studies on COVID-19 vaccines side effects is the ZOE COVID Symptom Study App in the United Kingdom. The result shows “pain at the injection site” as the most common side effects following COVID-19 vaccination. Other symptoms reported include headache, tiredness or chills but these are short term discomforts.
3. It is clear that side effects of COVID-19 vaccines are a small price to pay for the kind of protection we get from the vaccine. A major complication of COVID-19 infection is long COVID. This is a group of medical conditions that those who were infected have after recovery. Examples include breathlessness, tiredness, difficulty in remembering past events (fogginess of the brain), inflammation of the heart and lots more. In the U.S. and UK, some long COVID symptoms are now classified as disabilities. That’s how serious they can be. Long COVID is an important reason to get vaccinated so that you can protect yourself from being infected and developing those medical conditions that could last for a long time.
4. A little discomfort today may just save the life of someone in your community. People who are vaccinated are 12 times less likely to become infected and contagious. Let’s face it, not everyone you encounter in your community will be able or willing to get the vaccine. Being vaccinated yourself may very well save their life.
5. Health workers don’t let fear mongers stop them from doing the things that keep people in their care healthy. If only there was a way to vaccinate people to protect them from lies and misinformation!

What will you choose? Mild or no side effects after receiving your COVID-19 vaccine or the risk of long COVID? As a health worker, my advice to you is get vaccinated. Protect yourself, your loved ones and your community. Help us end this pandemic. Don’t let the fear of side effects rob you of a lifetime of wellness.