Health Officials Watch for Side Effects from COVID-19 Vaccine
2021-01-05
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1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
2As COVID-19 vaccinations begin, health officials around the world are watching for any problems that might develop.
3These side effects -- a result from taking the vaccine -- are both expected and unexpected.
4Recently, two health workers in the state of Alaska experienced allergic reactions after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
5One had a severe reaction and was hospitalized for observation.
6The second worker's reaction was less severe.
7Britain recently reported two similar cases.
8The Associated Press (AP) reported that these people had serious allergies in the past.
9As a result, British officials have warned people with a history of severe allergies to medicines to delay getting the vaccination.
10Health officials in the United States are not giving such a strong warning.
11Healthcare workers in the U.S. always ask people about allergies before vaccinations.
12Instructions for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine say to avoid it if you are severely allergic to one of its ingredients or already have had a reaction to it.
13The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people to remain under observation for about 15 minutes after a vaccination.
14Those with a history of allergies should remain for 30 minutes.
15 If they have a reaction, they can be treated immediately.
16However, doctors said the health worker in Alaska who had the severe allergic reaction had no history of allergies.
17She experienced redness in her face and difficulty breathing 10 minutes after the first shot.
18She will not be given a second vaccine shot.
19The second Alaskan worker experienced less severe signs.
20Her eyes became puffy, her throat scratchy, and she felt shaky or light-headed.
21Allergic reactions are common with new medicines.
22However, observing COVID-19 vaccines for unexpected side effects is more difficult in this case.
23That is because of the huge number of people who need to be vaccinated over the next year.
24Another difficulty is the different kinds of vaccines being used at the same time.
25It is quite possible that one vaccine will have different side effects than another.
26The first vaccine beginning widespread use in the U.S. and many Western countries is the one made by Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech.
27The second vaccine from the company Moderna is expected soon.
28Both vaccines were made using the same method.
29The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that huge studies of each have uncovered no major safety risks.
30Dr. Jesse Goodman, of Georgetown University, used to be a top vaccine official at the FDA.
31He told the AP that the allergy concern "points out again the importance of real-time safety monitoring."
32Health officials have several ways of observing how people react to COVID-19 vaccines.
33The AP said that in coming months as more people get vaccinated, health officials will create more ways to monitor reactions to the vaccines.
34Getting either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine can cause some temporary discomfort.
35This happens with many vaccines.
36In addition to pain in the arm, people can experience a high body temperature and other flu-like symptoms.
37These include extreme tiredness, body pain, feeling cold, and a headache.
38These symptoms last for about a day.
39But sometimes they can be severe, causing the person to miss work.
40Reports suggest these symptoms are more common after the second shot and more common in younger people.
41COVID-19 vaccines seem to cause more of those reactions than a flu shot.
42In some people, the reaction is similar to one people get to the vaccine for the infection called shingles.
43However, some reactions are similar to early coronavirus symptoms.
44This is one reason hospitals are not giving the vaccine to all their employees at the same time.
45They are giving the vaccines to workers in smaller groups over a longer period of time.
46The FDA found no serious side effects in the tens of thousands of people involved in studies of the two vaccines.
47However, sometimes rare but serious side effects happen when a vaccine is used very widely.
48This also happens when the vaccine did not go through exact and complete tests.
49The CDC's Dr. Jay Butler warned that balancing any possible risks "with the benefits the vaccine provides in the pandemic is an ongoing process."
50And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. 2As COVID-19 vaccinations begin, health officials around the world are watching for any problems that might develop. These side effects -- a result from taking the vaccine -- are both expected and unexpected. 3Allergic reactions 4Recently, two health workers in the state of Alaska experienced allergic reactions after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. One had a severe reaction and was hospitalized for observation. The second worker's reaction was less severe. 5Britain recently reported two similar cases. The Associated Press (AP) reported that these people had serious allergies in the past. As a result, British officials have warned people with a history of severe allergies to medicines to delay getting the vaccination. 6Health officials in the United States are not giving such a strong warning. Healthcare workers in the U.S. always ask people about allergies before vaccinations. Instructions for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine say to avoid it if you are severely allergic to one of its ingredients or already have had a reaction to it. 7The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people to remain under observation for about 15 minutes after a vaccination. Those with a history of allergies should remain for 30 minutes. If they have a reaction, they can be treated immediately. 8However, doctors said the health worker in Alaska who had the severe allergic reaction had no history of allergies. She experienced redness in her face and difficulty breathing 10 minutes after the first shot. She will not be given a second vaccine shot. The second Alaskan worker experienced less severe signs. Her eyes became puffy, her throat scratchy, and she felt shaky or light-headed. 9Allergic reactions are common with new medicines. However, observing COVID-19 vaccines for unexpected side effects is more difficult in this case. 10That is because of the huge number of people who need to be vaccinated over the next year. Another difficulty is the different kinds of vaccines being used at the same time. It is quite possible that one vaccine will have different side effects than another. 11The first vaccine beginning widespread use in the U.S. and many Western countries is the one made by Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech. The second vaccine from the company Moderna is expected soon. 12Both vaccines were made using the same method. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that huge studies of each have uncovered no major safety risks. 13Dr. Jesse Goodman, of Georgetown University, used to be a top vaccine official at the FDA. He told the AP that the allergy concern "points out again the importance of real-time safety monitoring." 14Health officials have several ways of observing how people react to COVID-19 vaccines. The AP said that in coming months as more people get vaccinated, health officials will create more ways to monitor reactions to the vaccines. 15Flu-like side effects 16Getting either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine can cause some temporary discomfort. This happens with many vaccines. 17In addition to pain in the arm, people can experience a high body temperature and other flu-like symptoms. These include extreme tiredness, body pain, feeling cold, and a headache. These symptoms last for about a day. But sometimes they can be severe, causing the person to miss work. Reports suggest these symptoms are more common after the second shot and more common in younger people. 18COVID-19 vaccines seem to cause more of those reactions than a flu shot. In some people, the reaction is similar to one people get to the vaccine for the infection called shingles. 19Coronavirus-like side effect 20However, some reactions are similar to early coronavirus symptoms. This is one reason hospitals are not giving the vaccine to all their employees at the same time. They are giving the vaccines to workers in smaller groups over a longer period of time. 21What about serious risks? 22The FDA found no serious side effects in the tens of thousands of people involved in studies of the two vaccines. 23However, sometimes rare but serious side effects happen when a vaccine is used very widely. This also happens when the vaccine did not go through exact and complete tests. 24The CDC's Dr. Jay Butler warned that balancing any possible risks "with the benefits the vaccine provides in the pandemic is an ongoing process." 25And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo. 26Anna Matteo adapted this Associated Press story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 27_______________________________________________________________ 28Words in This Story 29allergic -adj., allergy -n. related to a medical condition that causes someone to become sick after coming in contact with a substance that is harmless to most people 30ingredient -n. one of the substances that make up a mixture 31puffy -adj. larger than normal, swollen 32scratchy -adj. painful, larger, or rougher than normal 33monitor -v. to watch, observe listen or check for a special purpose, such as health, over time 34discomfort -n. an uncomfortable or painful feeling in the body 35symptom -n. a sign that a disease or problem is present 36benefit -n. good, helpful or healthful results