Recently the COVID-19 vaccine has come out and raised some concerns among many people. What are the potential problems of this vaccine? Could people have allergic reactions? Will it have bad side effects? Have there been any long-term effects of the vaccine for the people who’ve received it? These are some commonly asked questions that are soon to be answered.

The first and most extreme problem resulting from the COVID-19 vaccine is death. Unfortunately a life has been taken away due to the COVID-19 vaccination. A man in his late forties  passed away on January 17th, about a week or two after he received the vaccine. As stated from the CNBC article, Dr. Gary Anthone, Nebraska’s chief medical officer said, “Typically, COVID-19 vaccine deaths can be attributed to anaphylaxis and occur within a relatively short period after the vaccine is given, which is why monitoring is done,” continuing on with, “While I cannot speculate on this case, when individuals die days or weeks after the vaccine has been administered, it is more likely due to other underlying factors.”

What are some other problems of the vaccine? According to the article from the Cure titled ‘Weighing The Pros and Cons of Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine’, common side effects include pain at the injection site, fatigue, muscle aches or pain, joint pain, headache and depending on the vaccine is given, potential fever, which is short-lived according to the recent authorization of the vaccine by the FDA.  Some side effects can be worse for some people than others based on their overall health conditions. 

“Surprisingly, I was informed I could take all three together and my side effects included a stomach upset, loss of appetite, along with a headache that lasted around 24 hours,” said Tamara Anderson-Hanna, author of the Cure article ‘Weighing the Pros and Cons of Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine.’ These have been some of the side effects for someone who has received the COVID vaccine. They could be worse for other people or might last longer, depending on a person’s overall health conditions. 

When evaluating whether or not to receive the vaccine, one must consider the risks involved to getting the COVID-19 vaccination. Although there might be side effects and they could be worse depending on who you are, ultimately the decision to be vaccinated is left to the individual. Also, please be safe and follow the safety guidelines such as wearing a mask and staying six feet apart from people in public.