Five insights on COVID-19 vaccine side effects

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To date, there have been more than 770 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 7 million deaths from the virus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Vaccines remain one of the most potent tools in blunting the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and vaccine developers have distributed more than 13.5 billion vaccine doses to date.

As the global fight against COVID-19 continues, the emphasis on vaccine safety remains a priority. While COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer and J&J vaccines show higher reactogenicity than other commonly administered vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 remains a dangerous virus. Beyond the immediate threat of infection, the prolonged impact of ‘long COVID‘ is considerable. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reveals that more than 40% of U.S. adults have had a COVID-19 infection, with nearly 19% of these individuals still grappling wit…

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‘Long vax’ phenomenon gets closer look in recent studies

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In 2020, researchers witnessed the emergence of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) — more commonly referred to as “long COVID.” Now, the notion of “long vax,” persistent and varying symptoms following COVID-19 vaccination, has come into focus, as Science has noted. This phenomenon, while not as widespread as long COVID, has concerned some in the medical community, potentially fueling vaccine hesitancy.

Still, serious adverse events stemming from COVID-19 vaccination are rare, typically occurring within six weeks of vaccination, as CDC notes. In addition, the majority of side effects following vaccination disappear within a few days. While such side effects are generally minor, a number of patients have had acute spells of dizziness post-vaccination, chronic hives and heart palpitations.

For those with long COVID and post-vaccination malaise, symptoms can include postural orthosta…

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The most common monkeypox vaccine side effects

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Jynneos vaccine from Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX:BAVA), the most widely used vaccine to protect against monkeypox, tends to have generally mild side effects according to clinical trial data.

It is also clear that the Jynneos vaccine can help reduce the severity of monkeypox infections. Researchers are uncertain, however, about how the vaccine’s potential to reduce transmission, how strong its protective effect is, or how long it lasts.

A small study in Africa from 1988 found that an older smallpox vaccine was 85% effective in protecting against monkeypox.

CDC notes that there are no data about the effectiveness of the Jynneos or the ACAM2000 vaccine from Emergent Biosolutions (NYSE: EBS) in the current outbreak. The latter vaccine has not found widespread use in the monkeypox outbreak and generally is not as well tolerated as the Jynneos vaccine.

The …

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