Calling it a “more robust immune response,” Illinois Department of Public Health director Dr. Ngozi Ezike is warning that the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will produce more intense side effects than the first.
When NBC 7 San Diego reported that health care workers getting their second doses were complaining of more intense effects such as headaches, joint pain and fatigue, infectious disease specialist Dr. Edward Cachay said the same thing happened in clinical trials, so this was expected.
Ezike downplayed the more serious reactions as something not to be alarmed about, but drug industry news agency FiercePharma told drug manufacturers to brace for “a tidal wave of adverse event reports,” followed by possible lawsuits. “It's not just vaccine makers who need to actively look out for potential adverse events or drug interactions,” FiercePharma added.
One reason companies other than vaccine makers will be affected is because many people taking the vaccines will be on other drugs, sometimes multiple drugs, which in turn will cause new adverse event reports.
SOURCES:
NBC Chicago January 12, 2021
NBC News 7 San Diego January 9, 2021
FiercePharma January 7, 2021