COVID-19 vaccine trial volunteers note occasional harsh side effectshttps://www.foxbusiness.com/healthcare/covid-19-vaccine-trial-volunteers-note-occasional-harsh-side-effectsJocelyn Edwards wasn’t sure she got Moderna Inc.’s experimental Covid-19 vaccine or a placebo when she received her first of two doses in August. Hours after the second shot, she said she was sure it was the genuine article.
“I woke up around midnight freezing,†said the 68-year-old retired nurse. “For the next 24 hours I had intense chills, serious neck pain, headache, all my joints were aching.†She had a fever that peaked at 102.4 and poured out so much sweat that she lost 3 pounds, she said. The following day she woke up and felt fine.
Ms. Edwards, like the other 30,000 volunteers who took part in Phase 3 clinical trials for Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, wasn’t told whether she got the vaccine or a placebo. However, she said a trial researcher attributed her symptoms to her body mounting a strong immune response to what was most likely the vaccine. “It’s better having 36 hours of feeling really rough than getting Covid,†she said.
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Two of the first people vaccinated last week with the Pfizer shot in the U.K. had an allergic reaction following the injection. Both recovered after receiving treatment. They each had a history of allergies and carried adrenaline autoinjectors to treat themselves. The U.K.’s medical regulator issued guidance warning those with a history of significant allergic reactions against having the inoculation.
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Brad Hoylman, a 55-year old state senator from New York spent the evening after his second Pfizer shot shivering under a pile of blankets as he ran a fever around 102, had severe body aches and a splitting headache. By the next morning the symptoms were gone, though he felt fatigued for a few days. “It’s definitely worth getting the shot,†said Mr. Hoylman. “It beats dying from Covid.â€
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Despite the possibility of harsh side effects, Ms. Warren still recommends everyone get vaccinated. “Get the shot because it can save your life and your family’s life,†she texted from a beach in Mexico last Wednesday where she was vacationing. She felt safer traveling because she was vaccinated, she wrote. She said she still practices social distancing, wears a mask and frequently washes her hands since it isn’t clear yet whether vaccinated people can still catch and shed the virus even if they are protected from developing symptoms themselves.
Re the two UK nurses who had the severe allergic reactions, either they should not have received the vaccine or they should have received the vaccination in a facility prepared to handle a severe reaction (which seems to have been the case). I say this because by the terms of the Pfizer Phase III trial people with known severe allergies, especially to vaccinations, were specifically excluded, and thus a population segmented not tested.
Re the uncertainty whether a vaccinated person can still be infectious while their antibodies are fighting an infection, there is an uncertain period during which the infection is being fought. It is at least hypothetically possible the person could shed viruses during that fight. Since it appears that asymptomatic people are usually not infectious (= not shedding viruses) and the very few recipients of the Moderna vaccine who had Covid had mild cases or were asymptomatic, I think it's likely that vaccinated people won't shed viruses while their bodies fight off an infection "attempt". I don't work in the medical profession, so take my opinion with a block of salt of the size you think appropriate.
