Former MP Dr Kerryn Phelps’ COVID vaccination experience has prompted discussion about severe side effects after COVID vaccines. Here’s how they’re tracked, confirmed and prevented.
A small number of case reports indicate some people who have had dermal filler injections can experience swelling and discomfort after COVID infection or vaccination.
Studies show if medical staff talk about potential side effects in negative terms, the patient’s experience can worsen. We need to consider this ‘nocebo’ effect when talking about COVID vaccinations.
Studying trends in public adverse event reporting could help researchers address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.
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Anti-vaccine activists are using the side effect reporting system to spread fear and misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines. But the database could also be used as a gauge for public concerns.
Put into context, the benefits of vaccination still far outweigh the risks of rare adverse events.
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Ongoing tracking is meant to spot very rare risks – like the connection between the Johnson & Johnson shot and Guillain-Barré syndrome. And it relies on public reporting.
A healthcare worker holds up a vial of the AstraZeneca vaccine at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Montréal, on March 18.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Answers to key questions about rare blood clots linked to AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, including risks, symptoms and whether people who have had one AstraZeneca shot should have a second.
A serious event such as a blood clot could be caused by an underlying medical condition, a medication the person was taking at the time, or some other factor unrelated to the vaccine.
Around 3,000 more Australian patients have a complication in their hospital care in January than in other months.
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A recent study suggesting that medical error is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. made headlines. But the methods researchers used to draw this conclusion are flawed.
We need to think about the environment that allowed the error to occur.
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In Australia, estimates suggest undesired harmful effects from medication or other intervention such as surgery occur in around 17% of hospital admissions. But blaming the doctors won’t help.
Late 19th century lithograph by French artist Gaston Mélingue showing Edward Jenner vaccinating a boy on May 14, 1796.
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The principle of prevention being better than the cure is at the heart of public health and social marketing efforts such as immunisation. But not everyone agrees and the challenge is how to address disagreement…
A growing number of adverse events are reportedly linked to the consumption of energy drinks, such as Red Bull.
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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating a series of deaths reportedly linked to the consumption of energy drinks and shots. The investigation comes amid a growing number of reports of…
The community should look after the few unfortunate casualties of highly successful immunisation programs.
Sarah Gilbert
Reports on people suffering an adverse reaction to immunisation focus on the suffering of one over the safety of many. But immunisation benefits the whole community so we should all bear responsibility…
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne