CDC panel: No safety surprises for COVID-19 vaccines

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reports that, based on data generated since a major campaign to vaccinate Americans against COVID-19 launched almost 6 weeks ago, Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines are remarkably safe. More than 23 million doses have been administered so far, with a low incidence of severe adverse effects (AEs). Recipients typically have experienced headache, fatigue, and muscle soreness after the second injection, with some presenting with fever and chills. As for anaphylaxis, a severe AE that drew early concerns, 50 cases have been tied to Pfizer’s vaccine and 21 have been tied to Moderna’s product. Although scientists still do not know why, the majority of cases affected women. Meanwhile, approximately 200 deaths have occurred, many of them among residents of long-term care facilities; but they do not appear to be linked to the vaccine itself. “On the whole, I thought it was very reassuring,” said William Schaffner, MD, a Vanderbilt University infectious disease expert who heard the advisory committee’s presentation.