Anyone who watches television knows that an advertisement for a pharmaceutical medication must include side effect disclosures, but COVID-19 vaccination commercials do not.
It has become a running joke in America. There’s a medication that could cure your foot fungus. But, there’s also a chance you can die or develop several other chronic conditions in some patients. During those commercials, the pharmaceutical company has to list those side effects.
The Biden administration is now cracking down on vaccine misinformation, but what it could also do to help Americans make better choices is to require more real information on the vaccines, instead of hiding that information on obscure FDA web pages that nobody will ever see.
Before reading this further, we have to take a moment to disclosure our company’s own stance of COVID-19 vaccination. Shore News fully supports America’s vaccination effort. All of our writers and executive staff are fully vaccinated. We support the right of people to choose their own path and to make the right choices and decisions when it comes to deciding how you will protect yourself, your family and your community from the COVID-19 virus. With that being said, let’s continue.
When it comes to commercials pushing the COVID-19 vaccines, there are no FDA-required warnings. Here is a compilation of COVID-19 vaccination information provided by the Food and Drug Administration that is not disclosed at the end of COVID-19 vaccination commercials.
If listing side effects on COVID-19 vaccine commercials was enforced by the FDA, here’s what each would say. Each was taken directly from the FDA fact sheets on each vaccine. The below information has been provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and updated as of July 21, 2021.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF THE PFIZER COVID-19 VACCINE?
Side effects that have been reported with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
include:
• severe allergic reactions
• non-severe allergic reactions such as rash, itching, hives, or swelling of the face
• myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle)
• pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart)
• injection site pain
• tiredness
• headache
• muscle pain
• chills
• joint pain
• fever
• injection site swelling
4 Revised: 25 June 2021
• injection site redness
• nausea
• feeling unwell
• swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy)
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• arm pain
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF THE JANSSEN COVID-19 VACCINE?
Side effects that have been reported with the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine include:
• Injection site reactions: pain, redness of the skin and swelling.
• General side effects: headache, feeling very tired, muscle aches, nausea, and fever. Severe Allergic Reactions
There is a remote chance that the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine could cause a severe allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction would usually occur within a few minutes to one hour after getting a dose of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. For this reason, your vaccination provider may ask you to stay at the place where you received your vaccine for monitoring after vaccination.
Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include:
• Difficulty breathing,
• Swelling of your face and throat,
• A fast heartbeat,
• A bad rash all over your body,
• Dizziness and weakness.
Blood Clots with Low Levels of Platelets
Blood clots involving blood vessels in the brain, lungs, abdomen, and legs along with low levels of platelets (blood cells that help your body stop bleeding), have occurred in some people who have received the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. In people who developed these blood clots and low levels of platelets, symptoms began approximately one to two-weeks following vaccination. Reporting of these blood clots and low levels of platelets has been highest in females ages 18 through 49 years. The chance of having this occur is remote. You should seek medical attention right away if you have any of the following symptoms after receiving Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine:
• Shortness of breath,
• Chest pain,
• Leg swelling,
• Persistent abdominal pain,
• Severe or persistent headaches or blurred vision,
• Easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the site of the injection.
These may not be all the possible side effects of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. Serious and unexpected effects may occur. The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine is still being studied in clinical trials.
Guillain Barré Syndrome
Guillain Barré syndrome (a neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis) has occurred in some people who have received the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. In most of these people, symptoms began within 42 days following receipt of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. The chance of having this occur is very low. You should seek medical attention right away if you develop any of the following symptoms after receiving the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine:
• Weakness or tingling sensations, especially in the legs or arms, that’s worsening and spreading
to other parts of the body
• Difficulty walking
• Difficulty with facial movements, including speaking, chewing, or swallowing
• Double vision or inability to move eyes
• Difficulty with bladder control or bowel function
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF THE MODERNA COVID-19 VACCINE?
Here are the risks associated with the Moderna Vaccine as stated by the FDA fact sheet.
There is a remote chance that the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine could cause a severe allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction would usually occur within a few minutes to one hour after getting a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. For this reason, your vaccination provider may ask you to stay at the place where you received your vaccine for monitoring after vaccination. Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include:
• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling of your face and throat
• A fast heartbeat
• A bad rash all over your body
• Dizziness and weakness
Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart) have occurred in some people who have received the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. In most of these people, symptoms began within a few days following receipt of the second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. The chance of having this occur is very low.
You should seek medical attention right away if you have any of the following symptoms after
receiving the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine:
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering, or pounding heart
Side effects that have been reported in a clinical trial with the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine include:
• Injection site reactions: pain, tenderness and swelling of the lymph nodes in the same arm of the injection, swelling (hardness), and redness
• General side effects: fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, chills, nausea and vomiting, and fever
Side effects that have been reported during post-authorization use of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine include:
• Severe allergic reactions
• Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle)
• Pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart)
These may not be all the possible side effects of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. Serious and unexpected side effects may occur. The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is still being studied in clinical trials.