COVID-19 jab side effects may mean you're better protected

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-06-11 07:00

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If you feel a bit yuck after your COVID-19 jab, you may have a better immune response, according to international researchers. The study looked at 363 people in the US who had not been vaccinated against, or exposed to, COVID-19, who then received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna jab. They found short-term side effects after the second dose, such as chills, tiredness, feeling unwell, and headache, were associated with a 1.4- to 1.6-fold higher immune response at one and six months after vaccination. Each 1°C increase in skin temperature after the second dose was also linked with a 1.8-fold higher response a month later, and a 3.1-fold higher response six months later. The findings might help address fears about vaccine side effects, the team says, which can sometimes stop people getting the jab.

Media release

From: American College of Physicians

Short-term side effects after COVID-19 vaccination associated with greater antibody response

A study of newly vaccinated adults found that short-term side effects after vaccination were associated with greater long-lasting neutralizing antibody (nAB) responses. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco conducted a prospective cohort study of 363 persons who had not been vaccinated against or exposed to SARS-CoV-2, who then received 2 doses of either BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273. The authors found that the presence of chills, tiredness, feeling unwell, and headache after the second dose were each associated with 1.4- to 1.6-fold higher nAB at 1 and 6 months after vaccination. They also found that each 1-degree Celsius increase in skin temperature after dose 2 was associated with 1.8-fold higher nAB 1 month later and 3.1-fold higher nAB 6 months later. The authors say that their findings may be relevant in addressing negative attitudes toward vaccine side effects, which are a barrier to vaccine uptake.

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Journal/
conference: Annals of Internal Medicine

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of California, USA

Funder: By funding from the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Aging grants R24AG048024 and 5U24AG066528 and National Cancer Institute grant U54CA260581)

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