The article Scary Side Effects of COVID-19 Vaccine clarifies and fact-checks some worrying claims on coronavirus vaccination’s adverse effects. For quite some time social media has been awash with claims of COVID-19 vaccine side effects. While some vaccination side effects are normal, others are false and scary. For that reason, it’s important to clarify what’s true, and what’s false. Scary Side Effects of COVID-19 Vaccine is a must-read if you want to disengage your mind from anxiety.
8 Major Q&A About COVID-19 Vaccines
Swollen Tongue
Fact Check: If you have a severely swollen tongue, it’s a symptom of COVID-19. And unlikely a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Recently, some pictures of a man with a massively swollen tongue were posted on social media. He survived COVID-19 after spending more than a month in hospital. But his tongue remained massively swollen until surgery was performed on him. Thereafter he was able to speak and slowly begin to swallow fluids and soft solids again.
Evidence shows that the swollen tongue, called macroglossia, affected nine COVID-19 patients, prompting it to a symptom of COVID-19. Two of the patients had suffered strokes. The other seven were hospitalized with COVID before developing a swollen tongue.
https://www.newsweek.com/severely-swollen-tongues-covid-patients-1593748
DNA Magnetic Change
Fact check: COVID-19 vaccines don’t cause magnetic reactions or contain tracking devices.
On May 10, an Instagram post showed a video of a masked woman claiming her vaccine shot has “magnetic reactions”. She demonstrated her claim with a small silver magnet that seems to stick to the spot where she allegedly received the Pfizer vaccine. When she repeated on the other unvaccinated arm, the magnet fell off. As a result, she concluded that the COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips.
On the contrary, non-partisan fact-checking organizations found no evidence to suggest microchips are contained in the vaccines. As a matter of fact, experts believe a magnetic reaction as a vaccine side effect is absolutely unfounded.
Blood Clot
Fact Check: True. A link has been established between some COVID-19 vaccines and blood clot.
Several European countries had to pause the distribution of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine following reports that some people had developed blood-clotting disorders after receiving the shot.
Also, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified 28 cases of potentially life-threatening blood clots among over 8.7 million people who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 shots.
Both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have since been certified safe and effective. This decision was based on the fact that the benefit of the vaccines far outweighs the risk of COVID-19 infection.
Heart Inflammation Or Myocarditis
Fact Check: So far, cases of heart inflammation, called myocarditis, have not risen above the number normally expected in young people. For that reason, it’s unclear whether the vaccine triggers heart inflammation or not.
Thankfully, the number of cases of children affected by myocarditis after getting a COVID-19 vaccine is still within background levels. This means in a year, doctors expect to see about two cases of myocarditis for every 100,000 children. For now, cases being investigated for a link to the vaccine occur in older teens and young adults. And tended to occur about four days after the second shot. These cases are mild and disappeared on their own within a day of developing symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness, faster or irregular heartbeats, and shortness of breath.
Menstruation Changes
Fact Check: There isn’t evidence to support the notion that the COVID-19 vaccine can cause infertility or induce miscarriage in another person.
Although, some women claimed on social media that their menstrual period got heavier, lighter, or varied in duration or induced miscarriage after receiving vaccines. As such this claim led to rumours about how the vaccines affect recipients’ reproductive systems.
Contrarily, health experts confirm that the COVID-19 vaccine is not designed to alter your reproduction or cause those problems.
Fertility Problems
Fact Check: There is no evidence that any of the COVID-19 vaccines cause early pregnancy loss or fertility problems in women or men.
False information about the vaccine’s possible impact on pregnancy and fertility makes it even harder for you to decide what’s best. On men’s fertility, any fever, whether COVID-19 vaccine-linked or from another illness, can cause a temporary decline in sperm production.
As regards pregnancy, you don’t need to avoid pregnancy after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Then again, if you’re worried about COVID-19 vaccine safety, discuss with your doctor. Equally, get informed about the risks COVID-19 may pose to your reproductive health and your baby.
Hypertension
Fact Check: Hypertension is not a direct side effect of the COVID vaccine.
A fraction of hypertensive patients may react with an increase in high blood pressure after a COVID-19 vaccine. But this may be due to a stress and pain response. And not necessarily a direct side effect of the vaccine.
Yet, there is a need for more data to figure out the level of hypertension after mRNA-based vaccination. In the meantime, the advice is to take certain precautions on elderly patients with a history of hypertension. For example, precautions such as pre-vaccination control of blood pressure, post-vaccination monitoring, and symptom screening.
Metallic Taste
Fact check: Metallic taste is not listed by the CDC as a possible side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine. However, some people are reporting an unusual side effect of a strong metallic taste following Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations.
While rare, developing a metallic taste after vaccination is not new. It’s a side effect that’s been tagged with other vaccines, antibiotics, and pain medicines. Now, a metallic taste that can last for days is linked to a COVID-19 vaccine.
The good news is that while unsettling, the metallic taste is not dangerous, and should reduce with time. Drinking a lot of water can help clear things out of your mouth.
Enables Bluetooth
Fact Check: There is no evidence to support claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain any element that would make them detectable via Bluetooth.
Two recent viral videos on social media make the mind-boggling claim that the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine makes recipients Bluetooth connectable. But, Bluetooth technology uses radio waves to communicate between nearby devices. And COVID-19 vaccines don’t contain any substance capable of connecting with electronics through Bluetooth.
Conclusion
Although some researchers conclude that the anxiety over the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines means safety monitoring is working. Nonetheless, the fears over real and bogus side effects have impacted global vaccination efforts. Likewise shaken public trust. Regrettably once public trust in a vaccine is damaged; it’s difficult to repair. And if you are already uneasy, it makes the situation worse.
On a final note of Scary Side Effects of COVID-19 Vaccine, remember that the side effects of vaccines should only last for a few days. But if they last longer, contact a doctor. Also, follow the protocol of waiting up to 30 minutes after vaccination to identify any immediate side effects.
Photo Credit: Creative Commons
