Filenews 30 March 2024
According to a study recently published in the scientific journal Vaccine, side effects of vaccines against COVID-19 are extremely rare. This study is the largest analysis to date of adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines.
In particular, the study included 99 million people who had been vaccinated against COVID-19. The researchers compared the observed rate with the expected rate for 13 neurological, blood and cardiovascular diseases (adverse reactions) in people who had been vaccinated.
The study confirmed the already known results regarding rare side effects such as myocarditis and pericarditis involving mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna), and Guillain-Barré syndrome and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis associated with the vaccine involving a viral vector, such as that of the company AstraZeneca.
Specifically, 190 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome were observed within 42 days after the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while the expected number of cases was 76. There was also an increased risk of thrombosis after the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The study also confirmed the increased risk of myocarditis after the first, second and third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as well as pericarditis after the first and fourth doses of the Moderna vaccine, and the third dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine within 42 days after vaccination.
In addition to the above-mentioned known adverse reactions, the study reported a possible association for acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (AEDM) and transverse myelitis with both viral vector and mRNA vaccines. This was then confirmed by a second study, which included a diverse population of 6.7 million people from Australia.
The study concluded that vaccines are associated with an extremely low risk of adverse events such as acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (0.78 per million vaccine doses) and transverse myelitis (1.82 per million vaccine doses). Any potential risk of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis or transverse myelitis should be weighed against the significant benefit in terms of the protective effect of COVID-19 vaccines and complications of infection. One of the advantages of this study was that it included a large population size that made it possible to estimate rare possible side effects.
In conclusion, the risks of vaccines are limited and extremely rare, in contrast to their significant benefits against the disease associated with COVID-19 infection.
