TOLEDO, Ohio — As more people get vaccinated, we're hearing more and more about the side effects.
We asked you about your experience on our WTOL 11 Facebook page and we heard from a lot of you.
WTOL 11 reporter Michael Tatar spoke to 13 people on camera Thursday and 25 in total online for this story.
Everyone who was interviewed had some sort of side effects. But almost everyone said the symptoms lasted only a day or two, and they feel it was worth it.
"The only side effect I had was my arm was sore," CJ Ferguson of Bellevue said.
For many, side effects from COVID-19 vaccines have been minor or non-existent like what Fergueson experienced with her dose.
For others, it was more serious.
"Feeling like you were hit by a bus like twice," said Bowling Green resident Masha Ratushinskaya, who had a fever, chills and even swollen lymph nodes after receiving the vaccine.
Of the more than a dozen people who spoke to us for the story, each reported a variety of symptoms.
"Really tired all day," Findlay resident Laura Kurtz said. "I didn't want to get up. I slept for 14 hours."
"I started getting really dizzy and my throat was tight," Portage resident Ana Llanas said.
Zach Moore of Sylvania said he had "chills and a really bad headache."
For some, the symptoms felt familiar.
"I felt like I had COVID again," said Mia Stickels of west Toledo. "I had body aches, fever, nausea."
Our non-scientific poll with 25 people online who got the shot showed the most common symptoms were headaches, fatigue and arm soreness. Fewer experienced fever, body aches and chills and even fewer still had more rare symptoms like swollen lymph nodes or increased heart rate.
One big takeaway is most people say over-the-counter products helped with the symptoms, which didn't last long.
"I was only out for a day," Stickels said, "after a day, 24 hours, I was fine."
Many admitted the symptoms were no walk in the park, but it didn't stop them from getting their second dose or the vaccine itself. And they would do it again.
"Comparatively, being down for one or two days is a lot better than being stuck in the house for ten days, two weeks," Stickels added.
While nearly everyone we spoke to had no major problems, one viewer emailed us who only got her first dose of the Moderna vaccine. She had an allergic reaction and her doctor said it was early signs of anaphylactic shock, which left untreated can be deadly.
Following his recommendation and CDC guidance, she isn't getting her second but still urges other to do so, saying:
"I know there are many who don't believe in the COVID-19 vaccines; although I had an adverse reaction, I still advocate for others to get their vaccination as reactions like mine are noted to be nearly 1 in 400,000."
The biggest takeaways from our straw poll of viewers are:
- Most common symptoms were headaches, fatigue and arm soreness.
- All viewers said they were able to treat symptoms with Tylenol, ibruprofen or other over the counter products.
- Most said symptoms lasted a day or at most a few.
- All believe a few days of side effects are better than what you could get with COVID-19.