Doctors are urging the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to be upfront with the American public about side effects from a potential COVID-19 vaccine.
According to CNBC, the doctors are worried that people will refuse a second dose of the vaccine after experiencing the side effects. Vaccines being produced by both Pfizer and Moderna require two doses.
“We really need to make patients aware that this is not going to be a walk in the park,” Dr. Sandra Fryhofer of the American Medical Association told CNBC. “They are going to know they had a vaccine. They are probably not going to feel wonderful. But they’ve got to come back for that second dose.”
Participants in COVID-19 trials have said that they experience “high fever, body aches, bad headaches, daylong exhaustion and other symptoms,” CNBC reported.
“If this proves to work, people are going to have to toughen up,” one participant explained. “The first dose is no big deal. And then the second dose will definitely put you down for the day for sure. … You will need to take a day off after the second dose.”
Nurse practitioner Patsy Stinchfield argued that the CDC can prepare people for the vaccine by explaining that side effects are the body’s natural response.
“These are immune responses,” Stinchfield said. “And so if you feel something after vaccination, you should expect to feel that. When you do, it’s normal to have some arm soreness or fatigue, some body aches and maybe even a fever. It sounds like in some of these trials, maybe even having to stay home from work.”
