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Q&A Differences between Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines
Interactive test When will I get vaccinated?
And with what vaccine?
The "side effects" of coronavirus vaccines are the subject of the most attention: by manufacturers, pharmacovigilance and regulatory agencies, but especially by those who have been vaccinated or have not yet done so.
Let's take a step back: four vaccines are currently in use in Europe,
two based on messenger RNA technology
(Comirnaty from Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna)
and two on the use of a viral vector
(Vaxzevria from AstraZeneca and Janssen from Johnson & Johnson).
In Italy almost 50 million doses were administered and more than 17 million Italians over 12 years (32.5% of the population) completed the cycle.
The most widely used vaccine (as well as the first to be approved) is
Pfizer
, with 37 million doses administered;
followed by
AstraZeneca
(10 million doses),
Moderna
(5 million) and
Janssen
(almost 2 million).
[In Spain, 39.9 million doses have been administered to more than 16 million people, of which 11.9 already have the full regimen.
The most used is also Pfizer (28.1 million doses), followed by AstraZeneca (6.8 million), Moderna (3.6) and Janssen (1.1)]
The first dose of AstraZeneca, the second dose of Pfizer and Moderna
In the latest Pharmacovigilance Report of the Italian Medicines Agency (Aifa), it speaks of 204 reports of adverse effects for every 100,000 doses administered, regardless of the type of vaccine and the severity of the disorder.
The most common are
fever, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain, injection site pain, chills, and nausea.
These are
more common after the second dose of mRNA vaccines and after the first dose of AstraZeneca
.
The
very rare cases of intracranial venous thrombosis and atypical
They are also related to this last vaccine (1 case per 100,000 first doses administered, no cases after the second dose), mainly in those under 60 years of age, which led the Italian Ministry of Health, as well as the Spanish, to decide not to use AstraZeneca in some age groups.
Not enough data has yet been collected on the Janssen vaccine.
On the same day of vaccination (and the next day)
Regarding the mild-moderate effects and, therefore, not serious, which are 90% of the total, the reaction occurred in most cases (83%)
on the same day of vaccination or the next day
and only more rarely did the effect occur within 48 hours.
After the mRNA vaccines - Pfizer and Moderna - the most frequent reactions are
fever, arm pain, fatigue and weakness, chills and general malaise
.
The effects of the viral vector vaccines (AstraZeneca and Janssen) change slightly:
fever, tiredness and weakness, chills, and pain at the injection site
.
Many women have reported
menstrual irregularities
after vaccination, but to date there is no scientific evidence that the two phenomena could be related.
Let's consider two very common effects (fever and arm pain) and a third, particularly annoying one:
acute and persistent headache
.
Why does my arm hurt after the injection?
Why might my arm be swollen, sore, or red after the injection? There are also those who feel tingly. First of all, it must be said that arm pain,
more common with mRNA vaccines
, that is, Pfizer and Moderna, is not perceived by everyone and is also common to other vaccines that are not against the coronavirus.
It can develop a few hours after the injection and
last for a few hours or days.
It is due to the
activation of the immune system
. The intensity of this activation can depend on several factors: age, sex, stress.
In some subjects the inflammatory state is more pronounced, but this does not mean that they are more protected than others who were well after the injection.
Sometimes arm pain is associated with
swollen lymph nodes in the armpit area
, which can last for a few days.
All of these reactions
are absolutely normal and nothing to worry about
.
A US study examined a unique skin reaction that can occur after vaccination with Moderna: an itchy, sometimes painful rash that lasts an average of 5 days.
The injection site should not be massaged, if the pain is severe you can apply ice
or consult your GP.
Why does the fever come?
The swelling can go beyond the arm, beyond the injection site, and spread to other parts of the body, causing
a rise in temperature
(fever) and general pain.
As mentioned, fever occurs mainly
after the first dose in viral vector vaccines and after the second in mRNA vaccines
.
It usually occurs within two days of vaccination and disappears within 48 hours.
In case of severe discomfort, after consulting your doctor, you can take
paracetamol or ibuprofen
(the latter is not indicated during pregnancy).
Why does it cause a headache?
A
sharp and persistent headache
after vaccination should not be
a
cause for
concern.
If necessary, and after consulting with your doctor, you can take a pain reliever.
On the other hand, there are rare cases in which the headache should alert, but are easily recognizable.
The headache produced by cerebral thrombosis is peculiar
: stabbing and accompanied by
neurological symptoms
(difficulty moving and / or speaking, double vision).
Even in thrombosis of the veins of the abdomen (atypical site), extremely severe pain is felt in the affected part.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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Jose Luis Moreno
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