Covid Moderna vaccine: UK regulator approves jab for 12 to 17-year-olds – side effects
Coronavirus vaccines for 12 year olds 'under review' says Harden
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Dr June Raine, the chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), emphasised that the Moderna vaccine “is safe and effective in this age group”. She added: “We have in place a comprehensive safety surveillance strategy for monitoring the safety of all UK-approved COVID-19 vaccines, and this surveillance will include the 12- to 17-year age group.”
Dr Raine continued: “It is for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to advise on whether this age group should be vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna as part of the deployment programme.”
The Department of Health has now asked the JCVI for a formal recommendation on whether older children should be given the Moderna jab.
Moderna Covid vaccine side effects
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detailed the possible side effects of having the mRNA vaccine.
In the arm where the vaccine was jabbed into the upper muscle, pain, redness, and swelling could occur.
As the vaccine stimulates the immune system, other side effects could appear.
For instance, it’s understandable that a person may feel fatigued.
Other potential reactions include a headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and/or nausea.
These side effects are likely to occur within 48 hours of having the vaccine.
“They are normal signs that your body is building protection and should go away within a few days,” the CDC assured.
During clinical trials, reactogenicity symptoms (side effects that occur within seven days of being vaccinated) were common.
In addition, the “common” side effects were “mostly mild to moderate”.
“Few people had reactions that affected their ability to do daily activities,” added the CDC.
Body side effects, such as chills and a headache, were more common after the second jab.
“CDC will continue to provide updates as we learn more about the safety of the Moderna vaccine in real-world conditions,” the organisation pointed out.
How do mRNA vaccines work?
A mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccine teaches the cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response.
This type of vaccine doesn’t contain a live, or weakened, virus.
Instead, Covid mRNA vaccines give instructions to the body’s cells to make a harmless spike protein.
“After the protein piece is made, the cell breaks down the instructions and gets rid of them,” the CDC explained.
So when the cells display the spike protein, the body’s immune response recognises it as a foreign body.
This is when antibodies are created to get rid of the spike protein.
As the defence against this spike protein has now been made, should you get infected with Covid, the body’s immune system will be able to get rid of the infection more easily and quickly.
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