Pfizer, in new data submitted to the Food and Drug Administration, has said that side effects from COVID-19 vaccine booster shots are similar to those felt after the second dose of vaccine and are more likely to affect younger people. This comes as the drugmaker seeks the clearance of the government department to distribute booster shots across the United States.
The company, along with BioNTech, is seeking the FDA’s emergency approval to administer third doses of its vaccine to people 16 and over across the country, CNBC reported.
The latest data came from Pfizer’s third round of study that had a sample population of 300 participants ages 18 to 55. Of the sample population, they found that 63.7 percent experienced fatigue after getting their boosters. Further, 48.4 percent had headaches, and 39.1 percent felt muscle pains. The majority of the recorded side effects ranged from mild to moderate.
Aside from these side effects, experts also studied 306 booster recipients and found that 44 of them developed an unexpected side effect. The most common unexpected side effect is the swelling of the lymph nodes, and it appeared in 16 of the 306 participants.
In comparison with the side effects experienced by the second-dose recipients of Pfizer, the booster shot’s side effects were closely similar. According to Pfizer, when it evaluated 2,682 second-dose recipients ages 16 to 55, it found that 61.5 percent developed fatigue, 54 percent suffered headaches, and 39.3 percent had muscle pains.
The FDA did not comment yet on the recent findings of Pfizer. The new information comes as President Joe Biden earlier said he was hoping to start distributing booster shots by Sept. 20. It also remains unclear who will be prioritized in the booster shot process.
Dr. Abisola Olulade, a family medicine practitioner for Sharp Rees-Stealy Downtown, said, “Is it people who are at high risk in the 60 and over age range, is it people in health care?” Booster shots from Pfizer for those with underlying medical conditions are already available.
Also Read: Pfizer And Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines Have ‘Three New Side Effects’ – Here’s What We Know
