Most common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines

After COVID-19 vaccination, you may experience side effects, which will generally be mild. Side effects such as headache, pain at the injection site, fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, chills, and fever may start a few hours or days after the injection.

Side effects happen because a COVID-19 vaccination kickstarts your body’s immune system. They usually go away by themselves within 3 days, but they can be unpleasant.

You can take paracetamol to relieve the symptoms. Check the package leaflet for paracetamol to see how many you are allowed to take per day. If you are concerned about the side effects, please contact your GP or treating physician.

For a complete overview of the possible side effects, see the vaccine package leaflets.

Myocarditis and pericarditis 

In very rare cases, inflammatory diseases of the heart may occur following COVID-19 vaccination with an mRNA vaccine or protein-based vaccine: myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) or pericarditis (inflammation of the outer lining of the heart). 
This rare side effect is seen most often in boys and younger men between 12 and 40 years old, with a peak between 16 and 24 years. 
 
If myocarditis and pericarditis do occur, they generally start in the first 7 days after vaccination. Symptoms include:

• shortness of breath
• chest pain
• a forceful heartbeat that may sometimes be irregular.

The symptoms can vary significantly in severity and usually improve on their own, or can be treated effectively with medication. If you have these symptoms after vaccination, contact a doctor.

Allergies and vaccination

Are you allergic to one or more of the ingredients in the vaccine? Or did you have a severe allergic reaction after the first vaccination which was probably caused by the vaccine? The vaccination doctor will assess if you can be safely vaccinated by the Municipal Public Health Service (GGD). The doctor may refer you to your GP. If necessary, the GP can refer you to an allergist for assessment. In that case, the allergist will advise whether it is safe for the vaccination to be administered by the GGD.

A severe allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock) is very rare after COVID-19 vaccination. If it does occur, it usually happens within 15 to 30 minutes after vaccination. For that reason, it is advised to wait for 15 minutes after vaccination before going home. That means that you can receive assistance quickly if you have an allergic reaction.