A large American study of vaccine side effects found no link between two doses of the vaccine and the number of deaths recorded after immunization.
The American Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that 92 percent of reported side effects after vaccination with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were of a milder type.
About 4.500 people have died after vaccination in the United States of America (USA), by June 2021.
However, these data did not reveal any unusual patterns that could indicate a link to the vaccine itself.
"Reassuringly, reactions to both mRNA vaccines are generally mild and resolve after one or two days -- as confirmed by clinical trial reports and follow-up," said study author Dr. Tom Shimabukuro.
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Heart attack
Researchers studied "adverse effects" in nearly 300 million doses of the vaccine given in the US between December 2020 and June 2021.
Citizens, healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies can report any possible side effects using Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is under the jurisdiction of the CDC and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Another option is V-safe, which allows people to fill out a survey on their smartphone in the months after vaccination.
Both systems rely on people's individual decisions to self-report an adverse event.
The results of the study were published in the Lancet medical journal:
- According to VAERS data, the CDC received more than 340.000 reports of adverse effects after vaccination, of which 92 percent were reported as mild.
- Headache, fatigue, fever and chills were the most frequently reported
- Of the more than 22.000 reports that were recorded as serious, the most common was shortness of breath
Other more serious consequences, such as a form of heart muscle inflammation - myocarditis, have already been confirmed after Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations, although this side effect is very rare.
Since Covid vaccines were originally approved in the US under emergency use provisions, health care providers are required to report any post-vaccination death, whether or not the doctor suspects a possible link.
During the six months until June 2021, about 4.500 deaths were recorded, and more than 80 percent were people over 60 years old.
Mortality rates
"The speed with which Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in emergencies, particularly among the elderly population, has been unprecedented," said Dr. David Shay of the CDC.
"Due to age, this group already has a higher baseline mortality rate compared to the general population and our results follow similar patterns of death rates in people in this age group after other adult vaccinations."
The researchers said that less than one percent of people who completed the V-safe survey sought any health care after the vaccination.
"Reassuringly, the six-month VAERS data confirm that -- although about one in 1.000 vaccinees may experience side effects, most of them are harmless," said Dr. Elizabeth Phillips, a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University, who did not work on the study.
"For adverse effects of particular interest, it is reassuring that there were no unexpected (safety) signals other than myocarditis and anaphylaxis, which are already known to be associated with mRNA vaccines."
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