Adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccine – how to treat?

Abstract

We do not have an effective medicine for COVID-19, and we only have symptomatic treatment. The best treatment is prophylaxis, which in infectious diseases is based on vaccinations. Years of using vaccinations have led to the disappearance or significant reduction of infectious diseases. Currently, in Poland, we have three vaccines against COVID-19: two mRNA (Comirnaty by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine) and vector vaccines (COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca). Vaccines are highly effective in protecting against the onset of COVID-19 symptoms in large clinical trials. Vaccines can cause adverse vaccine reactions (any vaccine-related medical condition that has occurred within 4 weeks of vaccination). Studies show that adverse vaccine reactions after the COVID-19 vaccine occurs in about 0.03–0.2% of the vaccinated. The most common adverse reactions were injection site pain (> 80%), fatigue (> 60%), headache (> 50%), myalgia (> 30%), chills (> 30%), arthralgia (> 20%) fever (> 10%), usually mild or moderate, subsiding in a few days. Adverse reactions should be treated with painkillers and antipyretics – paracetamol and ibuprofen. Both paracetamol and ibuprofen are well researched preparations, with high safety and effectiveness. The antipyretic and analgesic effect of both drugs is similar. The condition for a good effect is the use of an appropriate, recommended dosage. Now paracetamol appears to be the drug of first choice for the treatment of pain and fever following COVID-19 vaccination. However, knowledge about immunization and vaccines is growing steadily and recommendations are changing. We need to follow up-to-date information and adapt our activities to changing medical knowledge.