A new study published April 27 in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal reported on the real-world safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine for recipients between December and March in the U.K. Out of 282,103 people who received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, 57.2 percent reported experiencing arm tenderness as a side effect. For the second dose, the percentage was more than half as well: According to the study, 50.9 percent of Pfizer recipients had arm tenderness after the second shot. And for more on vaccine reactions, This Vaccine Side Effect Could Mean You Already Had COVID, New Study Says.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb For either dose of the Pfizer vaccine, arm tenderness was the most commonly reported local side effect. According to the study, 71.9 percent of those who received the first dose of Pfizer experienced local side effects, while 68.5 percent of those who received the second dose did. Arm pain was the most commonly reported local side effect after tenderness, with 29.2 percent experiencing arm pain after the first dose and 34.3 percent experiencing it after the second. Participants also reported experiencing swelling, itch, swollen armpit glands, redness, warmth, and bruising as local reactions to the Pfizer vaccine. And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Arm tenderness and arm pain were the two most common side effects reported for Pfizer recipients in general. However, the third most common was a systemic side effect: fatigue. According to the study, 8.4 percent of recipients experienced fatigue after the first dose of Pfizer, and 14.4 percent had this side effect after the second. Other systemic side effects reported from the Pfizer vaccine included headache, chills and shiver, diarrhea, fever, joint pain, muscle pain, and nausea. And for more on the future of vaccination, Pfizer’s CEO Just Said How Often You’ll Need a COVID Vaccine. According to the study, tenderness around the injection side occurred “most often on the day after injection” and lasted around one to two days on average. However, a small group did report experiencing this reaction for up to seven days after vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you apply a clean, cool, wet washcloth over the injection site and use or exercise your arm to reduce any of the discomfort or tenderness where you got the shot. If you notice that the tenderness where you got the shot gets worse in any way after 24 hours, the CDC says you should contact your doctor or healthcare provider. And for more CDC guidance, The CDC Says You Should Immediately Do This Once You’ve Been Vaccinated.
