After taking the vaccine against COVID-19, many people experienced side effects including sore arm, tiredness, headache, fever, or nausea, which is a sign that the immune system is responding well to the vaccine. But they are many people who have not experienced any side effects at all, does that the vaccine is not working properly?
Experts say that it means no such thing. As per Healthline, if you don’t feel crummy after getting jabbed, chances are that your body still had a good protective immune response.
In fact, when Pfizer conducted vaccine clinical trials, it showed that 50% of participants experienced no side effects during the trial, and 90% of them developed immunity against the virus. According to The Print, advice on the Moderna vaccine says that common side-effects may be experienced by one in ten people, yet the vaccine protects 95% of those who take it.
Why do People React Differently to Vaccine?
As per Healthline, the immune system of some people may react in different ways, with some forming a physical response to vaccination. The report said that people react differently to vaccines because of few factors including health, age, gender, preexisting immunity, genetics, nutrition, environment, and use of anti-inflammatory medicines.
Research also said that the time of day when a person is getting vaccinated could impact immune system response. People who tested positive for COVID-19 previously may have a stronger reaction to the vaccine.
The Print report says that most COVID vaccines, including several that have been authorised, use a viral protein found on the outer envelope of the coronavirus, known as the spike protein, to mimic a natural viral infection and initiate an immune response. Innate immunity, the branch of the immune response reacts immediately to the viral spike protein. It attacks by initiating inflammation, the prominent signs include fever and pain. The innate immune response causes the side effects which many people experience after getting vaccinated.
The goal of any vaccination is to achieve long-lasting immunity by activating the second brand of immune response i.e. adaptive immunity. “Adaptive immunity is triggered with the aid of the innate immune components and results in the generation of T cells and antibodies, which protect against infection on subsequent exposure to the virus,” read the report. Unlike innate immune responses, adaptive immunity will not initiate inflammation. Most people experience this inflammatory response by both the innate and adaptive immune systems is exaggerated and manifests as a side-effect. In others, although it is working normally, it is not at levels that can cause noticeable side effects. Either way, immunity against the virus is established.
The Healthline report says that a person’s reaction to vaccination boils down to the innate differences in each person’s biochemical makeup, environment, and personal history.
Conclusion: Side effects or no side effects, people who get vaccinated can expect to have protection against the deadly coronavirus, as per Health experts.