What are the side effects?
Common reactions to coronavirus vaccination include pain, redness or swelling where you received the needle, mild fever, or headache, Australian National University infectious disease expert Peter Collignon says.
Some people will experience more significant flu-like symptoms and may need time away from normal activities such as work.
“For some people [side effects] can go for a day and some people can have fevers of 38 degrees or more,” Professor Collignon says.
“That is a sign that your body is reacting to the vaccine which is, perversely, good news. Your body has recognised this foreign material, your white blood cells are reacting against it and you are making antibodies. When and if you come into contact with the real virus, you are primed to gobble it up and destroy it because you have antibodies and white blood cells.”
Do Pfizer and AstraZeneca have different side effects?
Yes.
Experts say for Pfizer, symptoms are more common after the second dose. Common side effects include pain or swelling, tiredness, headaches, muscle pain, fever, chills and joint pain.
Less common are nausea, enlarged lymph nodes, limb pain, insomnia and itching at the injection site. Rare side effects reported include severe allergic reactions.
For AstraZeneca, symptoms are more common after the first dose.
Its common side effects include tenderness, tiredness, muscle pain, nausea, fever and chills. Less common are enlarged lymph nodes, limb pain, dizziness, decreased appetite and stomach pain.
Rare side effects reported include severe allergic reaction, or rare and unusual blood clotting.
Former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth had the AstraZeneca shot and says he felt “pretty terrible” for about 24 hours.
But, he stresses, most side effects are time-limited and easily treated.
“What we see from the overseas experience is the second AstraZeneca dose tend to have more mild side-effects - less fatigue, less headache, less body pains. But it is true that we are seeing in Australia the second Pfizer vaccine giving people more of those side-effects,” he says.
“But keep in mind those … go away after about two or three days and they are all easily treated with paracetamol.”
Former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth at Parliament House in Canberra last year Source: AAP
What’s the COVID-19 vaccination experience like?
Janine Trevillyan, from Austin Health in Melbourne, says it’s generally a straightforward process similar to getting any other vaccine.
“[At Austin], first we just gather some information about your past history, like if you have had any allergies in the past, problems with medical conditions, or if you might be pregnant,” she says.
“The vaccinator will ask a series of questions and then talk you through what the pros and cons of the vaccination are, what to expect in terms of short-term side-effects and what to look out for in case you are one of the very rare people who develop a serious side-effect.
“Then you get the jab which is the quickest and simplest part of it all. Everyone is always a bit surprised at how easily that goes.
“Then you head into an observation room next door, get your lollipop and wait your dedicated 15 minutes.”
Will all the restrictions still apply after I'm vaccinated?
Yes, but they won't be as strict, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ Anita Munoz says.
She says the lifting of all restrictions is contingent on Australians taking up the vaccine in high numbers.
“If we don't vaccinate, this virus will continue to have the capacity to kill people. But hopefully, if the population will get vaccinated, the very strict restrictions that we've had will be lifted so we can go back to our former freedom,” she says.
Professor Collignon adds: “When you have no community transmission or minimal transmission you still have rules. Those will need to be continued but how stringent you make those rules is dependent on how much community transmission you have. If we get a lot of people vaccinated we will still need to take some precautions but much less.”
Will there be a need for booster shots?
Dr Munoz says that's not quite clear yet.
“We think it is possible that people who have the Pfizer vaccine will need a third booster shot. The total time that the vaccine works is not well known,” she says.
“If you get the vaccines this year, you will certainly be immune throughout this year, which is most important. But similar to needing a new flu shot every year, it is quite possible that we will need to update COVID vaccines because of the virus' capacity to mutate.”
Will I be compensated in the event of an adverse reaction?
Because immunisation is not compulsory, the federal government says there are no plans for a no-fault COVID-19 vaccine injury compensation scheme.
Read more in SBS News' Vaccine in Focus series:
