So what does happen to our bodies when we have a vaccination?
Vaccines work in the body like “invaders”. They teach your body how to prepare to fight an infection, so your body doesn’t have to deal with the actual infection. The three vaccines that have been used to fight COVID-19 in Australia – AstraZenecia, Pfizer and Moderna – work in a similar way.
These vaccines will protect you from getting severely ill or dying if you get COVID-19. The vaccines train your immune system to recognise and clear out the virus, before it makes you seriously ill. Your body's immune system builds this protection over time.*
The virus that causes COVID-19 has spikes of protein on each viral particle. These spike proteins allow the virus to attach to cells and cause disease. The vaccines help the body to recognise these spike proteins as a threat and fight the coronavirus that has these proteins.*
The COVID-19 Vaccines work by giving the body’s cells instructions to make the spike protein. This single-stranded molecule looks like a long piece of tape with the instructions to make a protein coded on one side.**
So, why does my arm hurt?
These processes happening in your body may cause your arm to feel sore as there’s a struggle going on underneath the skin. Your immune cells are racing to the arm to inspect the threat. That’s why your arm may hurt after having a vaccine, yet it doesn’t hurt if you donate blood, as nothing foreign is being introduced into the body.
If you experience a fever, nausea, tiredness, headache or other symptoms, your body is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. When the body is learning how to fight the spike proteins, it can react in a variety of ways. These are safe and natural processes. Once your body has learned how to protect you from the virus, you are less at risk if you do encounter the real coronavirus.**
We’ve listed some great information sites below, if you’re looking for more detailed information about COVID vaccines and their side effects.
Australian Government sites with more information about each type of vaccine:
- Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca)
- Comirnaty (Pfizer)
- Spikevax (Moderna)
For more detailed information about the side effects of each vaccine, refer to:
*www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/approved-vaccines/how-they-work
** theconversation.com/what-happens-when-the-covid-19-vaccines-enter-the-body-a-road-map-for-kids-and-grown-ups-164624
*** www.ncirs.org.au/covid-19/covid-19-vaccines-frequently-asked-questions