As with most vaccinations, some people have reported experiencing side effects after their jabs. This is normal, and these side effects normally disappear within 48 hours
The Government is accelerating the roll-out of the second dose of the Covid vaccine to combat the spread of the Indian variant (Delta).
All over-40s can now move their second appointments forward by four weeks, so there is a gap of eight weeks rather than 12 between jabs.
Almost 58 per cent of adults are now fully vaccinated in the UK. The Government has said that by delaying the end of lockdown restrictions by four weeks, an additional 10 million people will be able to receive their second dose.
As with most vaccinations, some people have reported experiencing side effects after their jabs. This is very normal, and these side effects normally disappear within 48 hours.
The side effects of the second dose can also be slightly different to the first. Here’s what we know for both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines.
Pfizer second dose side-effects
For the Pfizer vaccine, side effects tend to be stronger after the second dose. The types of side effects are the same and should still only last a day or two.
The side effects are:
Tiredness
Headache
Muscle pain
Chills
Fever
Nausea
Pain, redness and/or swelling at the site of injection
AstraZeneca second dose side effects
For the AstraZeneca vaccine, side effects tend to be stronger after the second dose. The types of side effects are the same and should still only last a day or two.
The side effects are:
Tiredness
Headache
Muscle pain
Chills
Fever
Nausea
Pain, redness and/or swelling at the site of injection
There have also been reports of rare blood clots affecting people who have had the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The cause of this is not clear, and has only been affecting a very small number of people.
Symptoms of these clots include:
A new severe headache which is not helped by usual painkillers, or is getting worse
A headache which seems worse when lying down or bending over
An unusual headache that may be accompanied by blurred vision, nausea and vomiting, difficulty with speech, weakness, drowsiness or seizures
New unexplained pinprick bruising or bleeding, shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling or persistent abdominal pain
