At this time of year, you may be making plans to get the latest booster of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine with your annual flu shot.
If you experience itchy pain, redness, swelling, or injection rash about a week after receiving the booster, you probably have a COVID arm.
The COVID arm is a rare reaction. It occurs about a week after the first or second vaccine. While this is often very impossible, it’s less likely to happen with a booster shot if you’ve never experienced it before.
It is primarily related to mRNA vaccines such as Moderna and Pfizer. Most of the known reactions occurred with Moderna. Unlike a quick allergic reaction, this delayed reaction is not serious and does not mean you avoid getting vaccinated.
In this article, we will look at the symptoms and remedies of the COVID arm. We will also see why this happens.
The COVID arm is an innocent immune formula reaction that some other people have after receiving the Moderna vaccine. A 2021 case report showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine can also cause the COVID arm, but is less likely to do so. Johnson vaccine
The COVID arm is a delayed hypersensitivity skin reaction that occurs at or around the injection site. Your symptoms appear several days to a week after the first or current vaccination.
A 2021 case study of other people with this condition found that COVID arm symptoms appeared seven days after the first injection and two days after the second.
Symptoms of the COVID arm include:
If you hear a lot about the COVID arm, you may be worried about having this reaction. Keep in mind that the COVID arm is rare and never dangerous.
Millions of other people around the world get vaccinated, so even small cases of vaccine reactions and side effects get a lot of attention.
The COVID arm is intended to be an immune formula reaction. Your immune cells respond to muscle cells that have absorbed the mRNA vaccine.
The vaccine produces the spike protein SARS-CoV-2, which the immune formula considers an infection that must be fought. This is called an overexuberant immune response.
Since COVID-19 vaccines are new, we don’t know for sure what precise mechanism triggers COVID arm symptoms. This and other reactions continue to be studied around the world.
If you never experienced the COVID arm before you received your first vaccine, you’re even less likely to get it now.
Less than 50% of other people who gained the COVID arm after their first dose will get it after the second. It’s even less likely to happen after the next booster doses.
Even if you’ve already won a COVID arm, that shouldn’t stop you from getting another booster dose. The COVID arm may be uncomfortable, but the reaction is not harmful and will go away on its own.
COVID arm symptoms last around five days, but can last up to 21 days. It will not develop into a life-threatening condition or a serious allergic reaction and is not related to anaphylaxis.
Usually, the symptoms of the COVID arm go away on their own. However, contact a doctor if your symptoms are severe or if you feel very uncomfortable or worried.
Treating the COVID arm will not make your immune formula react to the vaccine. Its immunological formula has already indicated that it responds vigorously.
The COVID arm shouldn’t prevent you from getting your vaccine for now either. Sometimes your doctor or vaccinator may propose alternate arms if you have had a strong skin reaction to your first vaccine.
Even if it’s not a big deal, the COVID arm can be uncomfortable. Home remedies that decrease pain, swelling, and itching include:
The COVID arm is a minor nuisance that will go away in a few days. COVID-19 is a life-threatening disease and the vaccine is highly protective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.
Several studies have shown that COVID-19 vaccines, adding boosters, are rare and adverse effects are rare.
A recent one through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) also found those vaccines to be effective, resulting in a low rate of hospitalization with severe symptoms or deaths from COVID-19.
If you are concerned about the COVID arm, keep in mind that the protective benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine far outweigh the dangers related to the COVID arm or the progression of COVID-19 itself. It’s also to talk to your doctor to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Anaphylaxis due to a COVID vaccine is also very rare, occurring in only five cases according to millions of vaccines administered, meaning the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks. However, if you experience a severe allergic reaction, this occurs regularly without delay after receiving the injection.
Another complication of the mRNA vaccine would possibly be myocarditis. Although less common than anaphylaxis, it remains uncommon.
If you experience symptoms of anaphylaxis or symptoms of myocarditis after receiving the COVID vaccine, seek immediate help.
Other skin reactions can also occur after taking the hit that would look like a COVID arm but would expand closer to the time you take the hit. They can occur immediately afterwards, in the day or within 2-3 days. Other parts of the body can too.
Any severe skin reaction after the vaccine is also very rare. But if you delight in skin symptoms, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor.
The COVID arm is a delayed hypersensitivity reaction that occurs primarily from the Moderna vaccine. Onset is about a week after vaccination. The main symptoms are itching, pain and swelling.
The COVID arm is a relatively rare event, which deserves not to be with the first arm reactions that many vaccines cause. It resolves itself in a few days.
You may need to talk to your doctor to learn more about the benefits and side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Last review on 27 November 2022
Our experts monitor the fitness and wellness area, and we update our articles as new data becomes available.
Current version
November 28, 2022
Written by
Corey Whelan
Edited by
Alina Sharon
Medically proven by
Angelica Balingit, MD
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June 23, 2021
Written by
Corey Whelan
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