Scientists anticipate the COVID-19 vaccines will cause enervating flu-like side effects, including sore arms, muscle aches and fever that could last days and temporarily sideline some people from work or school, according to a report by Kaiser Health News.
Drugmaker Pfizer is expected to release its COVID-19 vaccine by the end of November 2020 and, even if it proves 90% effective, the rate Pfizer touted for its product, 1 in 10 recipients would still be vulnerable, the report said.
Saad Omer, director of the Yale Institute for Global Health, stresses the need for a broad-based outreach campaign to discuss the vaccine and potential side effects, especially in light of the fact that only half of Americans said they’d be willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
How public health experts explain such effects is important, Omer said. “There’s evidence that suggests that if you frame pain as a proxy of effectiveness, it’s helpful. If it’s hurting a little, it’s working,” he said.
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and health policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, weighed in, saying “Persuading people who experience symptoms to return in three to four weeks for a second dose — and a second round of flu-like symptoms — could be a tough sell.”
A COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be distributed first to health care staffers and other essential workers, who may not be able to work if they feel sick, said Dr. Eli Perencevich, a professor of internal medicine and epidemiology at the University of Iowa Health Care.
“A lot of folks don’t have sick leave. A lot of our essential workers don’t have health insurance,” Perencevich said, suggesting that essential workers should be granted three days of paid leave after they’re vaccinated. “These are the things a well-functioning government should provide for to get our economy going again.”
Source: Kaiser Health News November 12, 2020