11 serious side effects reported after vaccinations last week
There were 11 serious side effects related to vaccinations reported last week, Estonia's Agency of Medicines (Ravimiamet) has said. Three were related to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine Comirnaty and eight to AstraZeneca.
Between March 8-14, a total of 486 side effects were reported by recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 37 related to Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and seven to the Moderna vaccine. The majority of reports were of mild symptoms.
In total, more than 33,000 vaccinations were administered last week.
Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine Comirnaty - 37 reports
Of the 37 cases, 28 were reported by women and nine by men. There were three serious side effects.
An 82-year-old man developed a blood clot and lost vision in one eye three days after receiving the first dose of the vaccine. The man also takes the drug methotrexate and blood clots can be a side effect of this.
Two people under the age of 65 developed coronavirus symptoms but did not require hospitalization. The symptoms were recorded one month and 1.5 months after the second vaccinations.
The remaining reports mentioned non-serious reactions which lasted for several days and then cleared up.
57 percent of reports were related to the second dose of the vaccine, 30 percent to the first and 13 percent to both doses. It is known that mRNA vaccines, such as the Pfizer/BioNTech, cause slightly more complaints after the second dose and can be more severe.
AstraZeneca Vaccine - 486 reports
There were 382 reactions reported in women and 104 in men. There were eight serious side effects.
A 27-year-old woman developed vomiting and diarrhea that required treatment on the second day after the vaccine dose. The patient recovered.
Vomiting and diarrhea are known possible side effects of the vaccine. If significant dehydration and worsening occurs due to indigestion and/or fever, a doctor should be consulted or an ambulance should be called, the agency said.
A 66-year-old woman developed acute facial nerve palsy (Bell's palsy) on the day of the vaccine dose. The patient received treatment and is recovering.
Allergic reactions:
A 55-year-old woman developed an allergic reaction 10 minutes after the vaccine dose and required treatment. The patient has fully recovered.
The 64-year-old man developed angioedema (swelling of the face and neck) eight hours after the vaccine dose. The patient received emergency treatment and has fully recovered.
A 41-year-old woman developed laryngeal edema and hives 12 hours after the vaccine dose. The patient received emergency treatment and has fully recovered.
The 33-year-old woman developed hives and swelling of the limbs, face and throat on the sixth day after the vaccine dose. The patient received emergency treatment and has fully recovered.
Allergic reactions may occur immediately or a few days after vaccination. An ambulance should be called immediately if swelling of the face, difficulty breathing and widespread itching and swelling rash occurs, the agency said.
In addition, the following was reported:
A 68-year-old woman, had a cerebral haemorrhage the day after receiving a dose of the vaccine. Symptoms included confusion, a headache and visual disturbances. The patient required emergency treatment and hospitalization. It is currently unknown if the vaccine was related to the symptoms.
The 63-year-old woman died after suffering head trauma from fainting while experiencing a high fever. The patient had an underlying cardiovascular disease. Vaccine-induced fever, dizziness and fainting were the likely cause of the fall.
High fever and dizziness increase the risk of falls and injuries so great care should be taken with such side effects, especially in the elderly, the agency said
The remaining reports described non-serious reactions. In addition, nose bleeds, extra-menstrual bleeding, tenderness, hypertension, palpitations, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, mild visual disturbances, chest pain, back pain, back pain, cough, nasal congestion, haemoptysis, low temperature and hives were reported.
The agency said that because thrombocytopenia and bleeding have been reported in relation to some vaccines, a family doctor should be contacted if you experience bruising or recurrent/prolonged bleeding after receiving the vaccine.
Studies show that AstraZeneca has fewer complaints after the second dose than after the first dose.
Moderna vaccine - seven reports
A total of seven reports were made related to the Moderna vaccine. All the reports were from women and two were made by people over 70.
There were no serious reactions reported. One person experienced hypothermia symptoms and another reported post-vaccination stress.
1.2 percent of people report side effects
The Health Board said 191,207 doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered since December 27.
During this period, 2,315 adverse reactions to the drug have been reported to the State Agency of Medicines, which is 1.2 percent of the total doses.
Of these, 804 reports are related to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine Comirnaty, 29 to the Moderna vaccine and 1,482 to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Agency of Medicines publishes information about vaccine reactions weekly on its website (link in Estonian).
Editor's note: This article was updated on March 18 to add the total number of vaccines administered last week.
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Editor: Helen Wright