From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
As COVID-19 vaccines begin, health officials around the world are on the lookout for any complications that may arise. These side effects – a result of getting the vaccine – are both unexpected and unexpected.
Allergic reactions
Recently, two health workers in the state of Alaska gained experience allergic reactions after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. One of them had one adverse reaction and was in the hospital for observation. The second employee’s response was less harsh.
Britain has recently reported two similar cases. The Associated Press (AP) reported that these people have had severe allergies in the past. As a result, British officials have warned people with a history of severe allergies to delayed medications to get the vaccine.
Health officials in the United States are not giving such strong warnings. Healthcare workers in the U.S. always ask people about allergies before vaccines. Instructions for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine say that you should avoid it if you have a severe allergy to any of the ingredients or has already responded to it.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people to stay under surveillance for about 15 minutes after receiving the vaccine. Those with a history of allergies should wait 30 minutes. If they have a response, they can be treated immediately.
However, doctors said the health worker in Alaska had no history of having a severe allergic reaction. She experienced redness of her face and difficulty breathing 10 minutes after the first sighting. She will not be given a second vaccine picture. The second Alaskan employee did not have such hard signs. Her eyes came puffy, neck scrubby, and she felt trembling or light.
Allergic reactions are common with new medications. However, COVID-19 vaccines are more difficult to monitor for unexpected side effects.
That’s because of the large number of people who need to be vaccinated over the next year. Another problem is the different types of vaccines used at the same time. It is very possible that one vaccine will have different side effects than the other vaccine.
The first vaccine that began to be widely used in the US and many Western countries was the one made by Pfizer and BioNTech in Germany. A second vaccination from the company Moderna is expected soon.
Both vaccines were administered using the same method. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said large studies of each found no major safety hazards.
Dr. Jesse Goodman, of Georgetown University, is a former chief vaccine officer at the FDA. He told the AP that the allergy concern “reiterates the importance of real-time safety monitoring. ”
Health officials have a number of ways to monitor people’s response to COVID-19 vaccines. The AP said that in the coming months as more people get the vaccine, health officials will create more ways to monitor reactions to the vaccines.
Flu-like side effects
Getting either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine can be a little temporary discomfort. This happens with many vaccines.
In addition to pain in the arm, people may experience high body temperature and other flu symptoms. These include extreme tiredness, body aches, a cold feeling, and a headache. These symptoms last about a day. But sometimes they can be very serious, causing the person to miss work. Reports suggest that these symptoms are more common after second sight and more common in younger people.
COVID-19 vaccines appear to cause more of these reactions than a flu shot. In some people, the reaction is similar to someone who gets vaccinated for the disease known as shingles.
Coronavirus-like side effect
However, some of the reactions are similar to early coronavirus symptoms. This is one reason why hospitals do not vaccinate all their staff at the same time. They give the vaccines to workers in smaller groups over a longer period of time.
What about serious risks?
The FDA found no side effects in the tens of thousands of people involved in studies on both vaccines.
However, rare but severe side effects occur when a vaccine is widely used. This also happens when the vaccine has not been tested thoroughly and completely.
Dr Jay Butler from the CDC warned that there was a balance of risks “with the benefits The pandemic vaccine is an ongoing process. ”
And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. My name is Anna Matteo.
Anna Matteo adapted this Associated Press story for VOA Learning English. It was Mario Ritter, Jr. the editor.
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Words in this story
allergic –Adj., allergies –N. related to a health condition that causes a person to become ill after being exposed to a substance that is harmless to most people
ingredients –N. one of the ingredients that make up a blend
puffy –Adj. larger than usual, swollen
scratchy –Adj. painful, greater, or more severe than usual
monitor –V. watching, watching, listening or examining for a specific purpose, such as health, over time
discomfort –N. feeling uncomfortable or painful in the body
symptom –N. a sign that a disease or problem is present
advantage –N. good, helpful or healthy results