COLUMBUS – Hundreds of thousands of Ohioans have received COVID-19 vaccines. So far, just 11 reported adverse effects after receiving the shot.
The small number of possible side effects reported in Ohio underscores health care experts' message that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe.
"When you look at the number of concerns being reported in context, you could objectively say it's not a large number," said the Ohio Department of Health's chief medical officer, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff. "My conclusion is this is very reassuring and encouraging."
Vanderhoff said he was struck by the low number of reports of possible side effects because the vaccine is being distributed to the most at-risk Ohioans first.
Every vaccine approved for use in the United States must undergo clinical trials for safety and effectiveness and meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration's standards.
The type of vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna had been in development for years to treat other infectious diseases, speeding up the process of getting COVID-19 vaccines to people who need them.
After any vaccine is released, all possible side effects are reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System or VAERS, a national system used to detect possible safety problems in any U.S.-licensed vaccine. Healthcare providers are required to report adverse effects, but patients can share information, too.
Adverse effects happen after someone takes a vaccine, but they aren't necessarily related to the vaccine. For example, if someone has a migraine after taking a flu shot, that is reported to VAERS even if it was unrelated to the vaccination.
An Enquirer review of VAERS data showed 11 reports of possible side effects after taking the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine through last week. At least 221,000 Ohioans had received an initial dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines through Thursday.
The reports came from two men and nine women; two people were older than 60. Reactions included:
- Two women between the ages of 18 years old and 29 years old called off work after experiencing symptoms ranging from dizziness and chills to vomiting and a fever.
- A woman in her early 60s was taken to the emergency department after reporting itching and tingling. The person, who appeared anxious due to a history of allergic reactions, was released within a few hours.
- A woman older than 65 was taken to the hospital with a high heart rate about an hour after taking the vaccine.
- A woman between the ages of 18 years old and 29 years old experienced dizziness, chills and a migraine. An ambulance was called but the person felt better and was not taken to the hospital. The patient wrote: "It was the scariest experience of my life!"
- Others reported an allergic reaction, injection site swelling, a rash, a fever, dizziness and hives treated with Benadryl.
In comparison, about three dozen Ohioans who received seasonal flu vaccines reported adverse effects in December, according to a federal database.
Vanderhoff said it's important to note that these reports are raw data that federal health officials will investigate further. Experts then make recommendations on changes to guidance on how vaccines are administered going forward.
"They work through this information in a very serious way," he said.
Nationwide, severe side effects have been minimal, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on a Tuesday call.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC detected 21 cases of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. That amounts to 11.1 cases of anaphylaxis per 1 million doses, which is higher than the flu vaccine.
“Let’s remember that every day more than 1,000 people are dying of COVID," Messonnier said. "So if you do the math, I think that we still would say that this is a manageable number."
Vanderhoff said the most common side effects from the COVID vaccine are soreness and a mild temperature, which could be treated with Tylenol.
The CDC recommends that anyone experiencing a severe allergic reaction seek immediate medical care by calling 911. If you had an immediate allergic reaction after getting the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get the second dose
Columbus Dispatch reporter Darrel Rowland contributed to this article.
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