Side effects of a third dose of either Pfizer or Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine are similar to those experienced after a second dose, according to a CDC report released Sept. 28.
Five key takeaways from the report:
- The report, which used data from 12,591 people who've received a third dose of either vaccine since the FDA authorized them for immunocompromised people in August, found no new serious or unexpected patterns of side effects emerging in people who get a booster.
- The data used in the CDC report comes from V-safe, the CDC's reporting system in which people voluntarily report side effects through an app.
- The CDC report said that 79.4 percent of people getting a booster shot reported a local reaction, such as pain at the injection site, compared to 77.6 percent of people who reported that reaction after their second dose.
- After a third dose, 74.1 percent of people reported a systemic reaction, such as headache or fatigue, compared to 76.5 percent of people who reported that reaction after their second dose.
- "These initial findings indicate no unexpected patterns of adverse reactions after an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine; most of these adverse reactions were mild or moderate," the CDC report stated.
Find the full report here.