What are the actual risks of COVID vaccines?

RFK Jr. recently announced plans to expand the list of injuries covered by vaccine court. That has people asking: What are the real risks of getting a COVID vaccine?

COVID vaccines, like any medicine, can have side effects. Most are mild and go away within a few days. Some people have a sore arm, fever, headache, or feel tired after vaccination. Serious allergic reactions are rare, but they can happen, which is why people are asked to wait for a short time after getting vaccinated.

Scientists have carefully studied the safety of COVID vaccines. They have found one rare but real risk with the mRNA vaccines: myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart muscle. This happens most often in teenage boys and young men after vaccination. Most people recover quickly with treatment. Studies also show that getting COVID itself is much more likely to cause myocarditis than getting the vaccine.

Some people noticed small changes in their menstrual cycles after vaccination. Their periods might come a little earlier or later, or the flow might be a little heavier or lighter. Studies of thousands to millions of women found that these changes were usually mild and returned to normal within one or two cycles. Researchers have found no evidence that COVID vaccines cause infertility.

COVID vaccines have also been carefully studied during pregnancy. Large studies involving more than 149,000 pregnant women found no increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, or other pregnancy problems after vaccination. In contrast, getting COVID during pregnancy increases the risk of serious illness for both the mother and baby and may increase the risk of miscarriage.

Researchers have also looked for links between COVID vaccines and autoimmune diseases, which happen when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues. After studying millions of vaccinated people, scientists have found no evidence that the vaccines increase the risk of developing autoimmune diseases. In fact, COVID infection itself appears to raise that risk more than vaccination.

Scientists have also studied whether COVID vaccines increase the risk of Bell’s palsy, a temporary weakness of the muscles on one side of the face. Most studies found no increase in risk. Some reviews found a very small increase, but the risk of Bell’s palsy after COVID infection is much higher than after vaccination.

Overall, the evidence shows that COVID vaccines carry a few rare risks, but for most people, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks.