Health officials have been stressing the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, but there is still a slight possibility of allergic reactions. Of the more than 128,000 Hoosiers who’d received a dose as of Wednesday, State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said only one had a severe complication.
“We have had one anaphylactic reaction where an individual was hospitalized and treated and did extremely well with that,” Box said during Wednesday’s press conference. “We’ve had other minor reactions, which can be expected, a little bit of heart racing and itching and palpitations, but nothing very severe with regards to the administration.”
Box said health officials monitor individuals for at least 15 minutes after they get the vaccine or at least 30 minutes if they have a history of allergic reactions. The CDC also has a smartphone app called “v-safe” to help people report any side effects once they leave the vaccination site. “They will send out, a couple times a day, queries asking you how you’re feeling, how you’re doing, if you’re having any adverse effects or issues,” Box explained. “The other thing is there’s a system called VAERS, which is basically an adverse events reporting system, that the CDC has had in place for many, many years now for any vaccine.”
The CDC says that common side effects include pain and swelling at the injection site, as well as fever, chills, tiredness, and headache. These are considered normal and should go away in a few days.
For those who are still skeptical about getting vaccinated, Marion County Public Health Department Director Dr. Virginia Caine asks them to consider the long-term effects that can sometimes occur, if they get infected with COVID-19. “So where this virus gets across the blood-brain barrier in our body, it can impact our brain, our heart, and other neurological conditions related to this infection,” Caine said during Wednesday’s press conference. “You know, you could even lose your hair!”
Dr. Caine urged Hoosiers not to take the chance, and to get the vaccine to protect themselves and loved ones.
