With the first rollout of the Covid vaccine having just taken place in December of 2020, some have found the rollout of a booster shot to have developed rather quickly. However, as with any vaccine, there have to be individuals who decide to give it a go. Thankfully, this has also been the case with the Covid booster shot.
What has worried many individuals about taking the booster shot is the unknown side effects that may come with it. But as with the other shots, we now have more information as to what this will look like, thanks to the many who have trialed it thus far. So far, the third dose is recommended for those with underlying health conditions, individuals in long-term care and patients 65 or older, similar to when the first Covid dose was released. Since mid-August, nearly 2.8 people in the United States have now received this third dose and have weighed in on their experience with the booster shot.
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finished up its study on the initial recipients of this dose, it has concluded that the Covid-19 booster shot has side effects largely similar to those of the second dose, ranging from mild to moderate. Those that have taken the second dose of the vaccine have come to experience arm pain, a headache, fatigue and a few other flu-like symptoms. These same sorts of symptoms have been associated with the booster shot, and a little under 30 percent of the individuals included in the CDC’s study said they were unable to perform normal daily activities due to the shot’s side effects, which is pretty on par with the second dose’s effects. However, arm pain seemed to be the most dominant effect, with fatigue and headaches being a little less common yet still present in some.
These reports obviously still reflect the early experiences in the booster shot’s first round of recipients, but it has been deemed safe by most health officials. Even though it appears to be safe, as reflected by the millions that have received it thus far, health officials still recognize the importance of being cautious in these rollouts and monitoring recipients. As for now, this recent rollout has been especially crucial to continuing to increase safety within more at-risk individuals, especially as the Delta variant is still running rampant. At-risk populations, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and more can continue feeling protected as more and more receive the vaccine.