Expert: Naturally If You Experience Side Effects After Covid-19 Vaccination

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi and Mayor of Kediri Abdullah Abu Bakar witnessed the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination at the Lirboyo Islamic Boarding School, Kediri, East Java (Prasetia Fauzani / Antara).

JAKARTA - Virologist and Lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) School of Pharmacy, Aluicia Anita Artarini, said that there is no vaccine or drug that has no side effects, so it is a natural thing for people to experience Post-Immunization Infection (AEFI) after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. .

According to him, the body responds to the vaccine if there is fever, aches or weakness.

"Because the risk is always there. But what you see when you want it to be circulated or not, the ratio of risk to effect is good. If drugs treat, if vaccines prevent it," said Anita, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, March 30.

Anita explained that a vaccine can be circulated if in the testing process it has greater benefits than side effects.

"So as long as the effect of preventing it is greater, from a regulatory perspective, it will definitely be discussed more," said Anita.

Aches, fever, weakness, headaches are common side effects. Not only for the COVID-19 vaccine, other types of vaccines also have AEFIs that are not much different.

"If you are stiff or stiff, it means your body responds. If you are vaccinated, your body has to make antibodies, so that when the pathogenic virus enters it doesn't get sick," said Anita.

"When we are vaccinated, fever and sore, that is a sign that our body responds to what the side effects are, just what the side effects can still be tolerated. Common side effects have already existed in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials," he added.

Anita emphasized that the COVID-19 vaccines that have been circulating, including AstraZeneca, have carried out several stages of clinical trials. In conducting the test, it is not looking for side effects but whether it is safe or not to be used for humans.

"If the vaccine is not safe, it will not be allowed to circulate. So many are undergoing clinical trials, the first clinical trial that is undertaken is not knowing the effect but whether it is safe or not," said Anita.

"If the vaccine is not safe, you should not proceed to phase 3 clinical trials to check for efficacy. Because what you see is safe or not, it's so safe to check for efficacy," he added.