To ask if this is true (vaccine related)

[crochetmonkey74]

I had my covid vaccine last week with mild side effects, I know several people who have now had it, with a range of severity of the side effects. A friend said she heard that the severity of side effects mirrors how badly you would have had covid , had you caught it. I've tried to Google this but no luck and although I understand how vaccines work, I don't have a good enough understanding of them to work out if this can logically be true. Is this right?

I had Covid. I was in hospital and off school for 7 weeks. 4 months on and I'm still not fully better.

I had the vaccine last week. I had a sore arm and a painful gland under my arm, with a little bit of a headache - lasted about 4 days or so.

Covid was much worse for me.

Bearing mind all those people with Covid have ended up in icu, on ventilators and dying - how many have had such serious reactions from the vaccine?

And not having a reaction doesn't mean the vaccine hasn't worked so well. It's just people immune systems react different at different times.

I think, in general, it's probably the opposite.

More 'side effects' if you're young, fit & healthy as your body is making lots of antibodies.

The elderly fewer 'side effects' as your body isn't making so many antibodies.

However, that said it's looking vereffective in the elderly, so seemingly they're making enough antibodies.

For me it's hard to say what 'side effects' I had, as I have so many different headaches/joint aches & varying levels of fatigue due to underlying conditions that it's hard to pin point which are from what. But I didn't have anything horrendous and hoping not to wuth the 2nd as AZ is said to cause more the first time, fewer the second, but Pfizer the other way around.

From other things I've had, I'd say your friend is barking up the wrong tree.

Thanks to all for explaining, it was one of those things I just couldn't think through , and didnt have enough knowledge to make the logical conclusions.

Utter bollocks!

I am going to get shot down for this but could almost predict people at work who were going to get side effects (those who are often on sick leave for colds, headaches, periods etc) so maybe have lower "pain" thresholds.

I have had very fit 20-30s people (gym bunnies) have the worst time with COVID. Some for weeks, some still not well after getting in May. One was a friend who pretty much never gets ill with anything (first ever sick leave).

The vaccine effects will be less than if you had it because that is how you are responding to virus, personally. If you have side effects that mean you need to take a day off, think how bad getting the virus would be!

My dd is a covid vaccinator and she says that it appears
Pfizer the side effects are worse 2nd dose
Az first dose if you have had covid. I dont think its to do with age because the people i know who have had worse AZ side effects are all in 50s and 60s. Although dh had his yesterday and seems fine. Dd 23 had pfizer and just felt a bit tired

Is your friend a doctor or a medical scientist of some kind?

It’s due to how each individuals immune system reacts to the vaccine, some peoples immune systems react more strongly causing side effects. My immune system is incredibly sensitive, my body attacks itself every time I’m due on my period as if I have a viral infection. I hope a strong reaction to the vaccine abs had side effects for 48 hours.

There is no easy way of proving this. It's difficult to know at an individual level how bad you would have been if you had caught covid. At a population level they could measure the severity of the side effects in relation to known covid risk factors like age and weight and pre existing conditions and sex, and compare these results to severity of covid symptoms with the same risk factors. But I dont know why they would bother. And if people are saying young people are reporting more severe symptoms it seems unlikely anyway

Thanks all!

Yes OP, most symptoms of a viral illness aren't actually the effects of the virus but of your immune system doing its job. EG a high temp is designed to make the body too hot to be hospitable to the virus so it can't replicate anymore.

This has always intrigued me. I know a high temp means your body may be fighting a virus or infection, so why do we take paracetamol to reduce the temp? What does the paracetamol do and does taking it interfere with the body’s natural defence systems?

@ijokeijoke

My friend told me that if you react badly to the vaccine, it means you have already had covid. 🤷🏼‍♀️ who knows

Can't be. Both DH and I have had Covid, DH had really no reaction, I just had quite a sore arm for a few days.

The scientists behind the Covid Zoe app have made a correlation between slightly more side effects (but still mild and perfectly manageable) in those who have previously had covid. It’s an interesting read
covid.joinzoe.com/post/vaccine-after-effects-more-common-in-those-who-already-had-covid

This has always intrigued me. I know a high temp means your body may be fighting a virus or infection, so why do we take paracetamol to reduce the temp? What does the paracetamol do and does taking it interfere with the body’s natural defence systems?

You're not supposed to take anything to reduce the temperature unless it gets high enough to become dangerous or you're feeling poorly with it. Yes, it does interfere with the body's defences.

Complete bollocks.

Typically elderly people aren't getting any side effects from the vaccine at all and young people are.

@YukoandHiro @WeatherwaxLives @Trinacham

Just for clarity - the side effects from the vaccine are your immune system working, but if you don't experience side effects it DOES NOT mean your immune system isn't working or is working less well. We don't know why some people experience side effects and some don't. There is no evidence that side effects mean you have a better immune system.

Would that mean that no side effects mean the vaccine did not work? My mum had no side effects at all. And then I know a few people who reacted so badly that they will be refusing the 2nd jab

No. The degree of side effects has NO bearing on the effectiveness. It simply reflects how much ‘fuss’ your own immune system makes.

Anecdotally older people seem to react less...and look at the huge downturn in infection in the (older) vaccinated group.

And it is simply idiotic of anyone to decline the second jab. They may well have no reaction next time and it is all preferable to getting the disease.

@24YearsAtTheTapEnd

Complete bollocks.

Typically elderly people aren't getting any side effects from the vaccine at all and young people are.

Complete bullocks yourself people i know getting side effects late 50s/60s, the younger ones 20s and 30s

As i said above dd said the thinking by the vaccinators for az it is those who have had covid have worse symptoms

Complete bullocks yourself people i know getting side effects late 50s/60s, the younger ones 20s and 30s
Sorry my phone playing up. The younger people i know no symptomd

No. It's not.

But what they are finding is that if you've had covid prior to the vaccination regardless of severity (you might have been asymptomatic) then you are more likely to get a bigger reaction to your vaccine.

It makes sense as the vaccine would be reawakening your immune response.

I had covid and the vaccine.

Vaccine felt like pure shite tbh, actually felt rougher than covid and I wasn't well with covid! But it was only for a day, covid took months to feel better.

I thought it was something to do with having a strong immune response? I've not heard of the elderly people I know having severe symptoms but more of the younger people I know have (by younger I'm talking 20-50 odd).

Truly frightening how people like your friend spread ullshit.

You are advised not to have the vaccine within 28 days of a positive test. Given a third may not have symptoms any reaction may be related to this.