Covid booster side effects: When your side effect symptoms should go away
THE Government's Covid booster drive is now in full swing, with more than 24 million booster/third doses administered, according to recent data. The new programme has seen jab offers extended to millions more people, and some may experience side effects. When should the side effects go away?
Chris Whitty asks adults to ‘please’ get booster jab
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to offer all adults over 18 an opportunity to receive their Covid vaccine booster - either via appointment or walk-in - by January. Experts have identified the additional jabs as the best hope against Omicron, as they reforge immunity built by the past two jabs the variant could otherwise bypass. They have also identified a selection of symptoms people may experience after receiving it.
What are the side effects of the Covid booster jab?
The Covid booster trains the immune system to react to potential infection in the same way as its two predecessors.
As such, the potential side effects present in much the same way.
The NHS has split them into two types; common and very rare.
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The common side effects include:
- A sore arm at the site of infection
- Tiredness
- A headache
- Aches and pains
- Feeling sick or vomiting
- High temperature
- Shivers
The very rare side effects may include:
- Allergic reactions
- Blood clotting
- Heart inflammation (myocarditis)
How long will booster jab side effects last?
Most symptoms people experience from their booster or any other vaccine are short-lived.
According to the NHS, they should only last one to two days, a week at maximum.
People don't have to wait until they pass, however, and can take pain relievers.
The NHS recommends painkillers for at-home treatment and to call 111 if symptoms get worse.
The rarest side effects can indicate potentially severe problems and may require medical intervention.
For example, people with a history of allergic reactions may experience anaphylaxis.
Researchers have also recorded cases of blood clotting following vaccine doses, although these are rare.
Blood clots develop on one part of the body and can dislodge, leading them to settle in vital organs such as the brain or lungs.
When they settle in the lungs, they cause a pulmonary embolism.
And when these clots enter the brain, they cause strokes.
Pulmonary embolism symptoms include:
- Sweating
- Sudden loss of breath
- Chest pain
- Anxiety
- Dizziness, fainting or lightheadedness
- Irregular heartbeat
- Palpitations
- Coughing, sometimes with blood
Stroke symptoms include:
- Paralysis
- One-sided facial, arm or leg paralysis
- Trouble speaking or understanding people
- Slurring speech
- Disorientation, confusion, or unresponsiveness
- Sudden behavioural changes
Others have recorded cases of myocarditis, where the heart swells following vaccination.
Symptoms can include:
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Heart palpitations