COVID-19 vaccine reaction: Heres why it happens – WGAL Susquehanna Valley Pa.

Marisa Seubert works for Lancaster EMS, making her eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.When she got the first shot on a Saturday, she was overcome with emotion.Joy, celebration and relief, she said.With the emotional reaction came a physical one: a sore arm and other symptoms.I started with a headache, chills. It just kind of progressed downward. I didn't feel anything alarming that I needed to call for 911 or anything, but I just felt sick, she said.The vaccines work by delivering a message to make the spike protein, which is the covering of the coronavirus.The body has an immune response. If the body later sees the live virus, the antibodies attack the spike protein and prevent infection.I wouldn't refer to it as a side effect. People are supposed to have a reaction to the vaccine. Thats the whole point of it, said Dr. Joseph Kontra, the chief of infectious diseases at Lancaster General Hospital.Kontra said not everyone is affected the same way.Seubert called in sick on the Monday after she was vaccinated, something she said she rarely does. She felt fine later, she said.It was like a lightbulb went off. Forty-eight hours later, I was back to myself, she said.Seubert wasnt deterred from getting her second dose. She experienced a similar reaction but doesnt want to discourage others.Its likely that you could get symptoms like myself, but at the end, its worth it, she said.She urged people to get vaccinated when its their turn.How to treat symptomsSeubert took Tylenol for her symptoms.Kontra said Tylenol is preferred because its not anti-inflammatory.He said ibuprofen's anti-inflammatory effects may reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine, although that has not been studied scientifically.The Food and Drug Administration said there are no contraindications or factors that would be a reason not to take pain relievers and fever reducers, but people should check with their doctor.Its not recommended that painkillers be taken prior to getting the vaccine.

Marisa Seubert works for Lancaster EMS, making her eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

When she got the first shot on a Saturday, she was overcome with emotion.

Joy, celebration and relief, she said.

With the emotional reaction came a physical one: a sore arm and other symptoms.

I started with a headache, chills. It just kind of progressed downward. I didn't feel anything alarming that I needed to call for 911 or anything, but I just felt sick, she said.

The vaccines work by delivering a message to make the spike protein, which is the covering of the coronavirus.

The body has an immune response. If the body later sees the live virus, the antibodies attack the spike protein and prevent infection.

I wouldn't refer to it as a side effect. People are supposed to have a reaction to the vaccine. Thats the whole point of it, said Dr. Joseph Kontra, the chief of infectious diseases at Lancaster General Hospital.

Kontra said not everyone is affected the same way.

Seubert called in sick on the Monday after she was vaccinated, something she said she rarely does. She felt fine later, she said.

It was like a lightbulb went off. Forty-eight hours later, I was back to myself, she said.

Seubert wasnt deterred from getting her second dose. She experienced a similar reaction but doesnt want to discourage others.

Its likely that you could get symptoms like myself, but at the end, its worth it, she said.

She urged people to get vaccinated when its their turn.

Seubert took Tylenol for her symptoms.

Kontra said Tylenol is preferred because its not anti-inflammatory.

He said ibuprofen's anti-inflammatory effects may reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine, although that has not been studied scientifically.

The Food and Drug Administration said there are no contraindications or factors that would be a reason not to take pain relievers and fever reducers, but people should check with their doctor.

Its not recommended that painkillers be taken prior to getting the vaccine.

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COVID-19 vaccine reaction: Heres why it happens - WGAL Susquehanna Valley Pa.