Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - Aches. Fatigue. Mild fever.
Those appear to be the side effects many are experiencing following the second COVID vaccine dose.
The good news is that doctors say it should go away shortly, and those who have it should not panic.
Dr. Joe Chow of WNY Immediate Care says the immune system is responding to the doses. "The first is really getting the immune system acquainted with the virus, and the second is the one that triggers your body's immune memory and the immunity response tends to be heavier on the second one," explains Chow.
Dr. Todd Ellerin of South Shore Health says for susceptible people, "you have more side effects because that's a big boost in our immune system. While people may feel high fever, fatigue or aches, I don't want them to feel badly psychologically because it's that big boost of neutralizing antibody that will ultimately fight the virus."
Ellerin says if you haven't felt the side effects, don't worry because everyone who gets vaccinated gets that big boost.
Dr. Tom Russo of UB says it's unclear why it's happening, but there are some patterns noticed. "Individuals who have had these symptoms tend to be younger, more frequently with the second dose. It also happens to happen more to women than men," says Russo. He says everyone will have tenderness and swelling in the injection site.
Russo's heard about some horror stories on social media ."A lot of people are posting they got the second shot and feel like they were hit by a train, and there's no question some will land on the couch for about a day," says Russo. But warns you to not to fear that second dose. "Getting that second shot is absolutely critical, and it's going to be particularly important for getting that immune response to variants that are circulating," explains Russo.
Russo suggests Tylenol and bed rest for those who get the symptoms and they should be back in normal shape in a day, two at most.
