Coronavirus vaccine: Strangest side-effects discovered so far
The side-effects of the COVID-19 vaccine you should know about
By now, we do know about a possible list of side-effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Fever, chills, muscle aches, pain at the injection site and experiencing a sort of malaise can be common after-effects of getting vaccinated- and the ones you should be prepared for.
However, with more and more people receiving experimental shots, the list of symptoms continues to rise. For example, attention is now being drawn towards some ‘strange’, unusual side-effects which can be recorded with the vaccine.
What exactly causes these symptoms after a vaccine jab is unknown, nonetheless, it’s important to be aware at this point of the newer, less common symptoms which can happen, especially if you are sensitive or at the risk of an allergic reaction to the vaccine. We discuss some of them here:
Lip swelling
In an unsual turn of events, some people who have been inoculated with the Moderna jab have gone on to develop a sort of lip swelling and blisters.
While there are some theories that suggested that people who have lip fillers may develop an allergic response (swelling), this is indeed a rare development that has been categorized as a rare, unusual reaction. People with the reaction have gone on to say it can feel like a painful blister, uncomfortable and is also accompanied by mouth dryness.
While lip swelling in itself, is a harmless reaction, it can also be a form of delayed reaction to the inoculation.
COVID arm
Another new side-effect that has been discovered of late is 'COVID arm'- a side-effect that could leave beneficiaries with a strange, red lesion at the site of injection and experience prolonged stiffness and pain. Medically, it can be referred to as delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity, which essentially means a delayed reaction on the skin.
Some people who have experienced the COVID arm also reported the lesion being painful to touch, and also experience itching. What also makes this side-effect a tad bit different than the others is that it can come up days later, sometimes 7-9 days after getting the shot, which makes it different from all other side-effects. The good news? It's brief, and possibly a harmless reaction and shouldn't be a reason to get the second shot.
Enlarged lymph nodes
In what possibly can be termed as the strangest reaction of the COVID-19 vaccines, the vaccine jab can cause a certain side-effect that could be mistaken for breast cancer-enlarged lymph nodes. Doctors are now seeing a number of immunized people show up with such a reaction.
Though anecdotal, experts say that the reaction can occur on the same arm where you get the jab.
Even though the side-effect is not directly harmful (or be cancerous), experts feel that the side-effects can drive anxiety for patients, since it resembles a classic cancer symptom and hence, more awareness needs to be put in place right now.
Blood clots
The Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine has been temporarily suspended for use in certain countries, after some healthcare workers developed scary blood clots and decreased platelet count.
While it remains unknown whether the symptom was caused by the vaccine directly, doctors now believe this to be a rare occurence to be cautious about- some people can have a preexisting condition (a possible autoimmune reaction) which can make the body destroy platelets and cause clotting.
In some cases, blood clotting could also cause painful blisters, rashes and bruises.
Blurred vision
Another strange side-effect is the one which has impaired some people's vision right now.
According to some case studies, getting inoculated could leave some people with hazy or blurred vision for a couple of days. In the US, a healthcare worker also developed eye puffing after getting a shot.
Although unusual and slightly worrisome, experts believe that vision problem could also be commonly experienced with other vaccines, such as the flu vaccine and hence, shouldn't be a big reason to doubt the effectiveness or safety of the COVID vaccines right now.