The science behind COVID-19 vaccine’s possible second dose side effects

Soreness, fatigue, headache and even a fever are some of the side effects many of you are feeling after getting your second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. But what if you got your second dose and you feel fine?

It comes down to your immune system, and how different it is from everyone else’s.
Some people will feel achy and tired, while others feel absolutely nothing; the symptoms will vary.

“Whether you feel a certain way from the vaccine or not, it does not mean the vaccine is not working,” said Joseph Pepe, director of the Florida Department of Health-Charlotte County. “It just means that everybody’s body reacts differently to it.”

Pepe says no specific group of people is showing symptoms after the second shot and that the FDOH-Charlotte is keeping a close eye on those with allergies.

“The folks that I talk to, they get a very mild response… their concern is, is that a bad thing?” Pepe said. “The answer is no. That means your body recognized the first shot and now it’s reacting to that. That’s a good thing.”

The first dose teaches your body how to recognize the virus as the enemy. The second dose simply amplifies that, which in turn can cause the immune system to react. The Centers for Disease Control say the common symptoms of fever, chills, headache or fatigue should go away within a couple of days.

“It’s not a bad thing, it’s kind of a normal process that happens, just sometimes people respond a little bit more… their body, well, in terms of the aches and pains and the fever, [more] than they probably would’ve liked,” said Robert Hawkes, director of Florida Gulf Coast University’s physician assistant program. “But it’s not a bad thing and certainly doesn’t mean the vaccine is not working.”