You may experience minor side effects following vaccination against COVID-19. Most side effects last no more than a couple of days and you'll recover without any problems. Some people will have more significant flu-like symptoms — for example: fever, chills, muscle pain and feeling tired — from this vaccination compared to others and may need a rest from normal activities. These symptoms may occur after either dose, but they are more common after the first dose of AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria vaccine, and the second dose of Pfizer's Comirnaty vaccine and Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine. If you experience pain at the injection site, fever, headaches or body aches in the first 1 to 2 days after vaccination, you can take paracetamol to help reduce any of these symptoms. You don’t need to take paracetamol or ibuprofen before vaccination. If there’s swelling at the injection site, you can use a cold compress. All injectable vaccines have the potential for an allergic reaction after you are injected. Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction include: rash, itching or hives on the skin swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body shortness of breath, wheezing or difficulty breathing fainting, dizziness or feeling lightheaded (due to a drop in blood pressure) Serious reactions, such as allergic reactions, are extremely rare. If you have any concerns about your vaccination, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. You should seek medical attention after vaccination if: you think you are having an allergic reaction. Call 000 if you experience severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, wheezing, a fast heartbeat or collapse you’re worried about a potential side effect or have new or unexpected symptoms you have an expected side effect of the vaccine that hasn’t gone away after a few days For symptoms that aren’t urgent, you can see your regular healthcare provider — usually your GP. Be sure to tell your doctor that you’ve recently received the vaccination. You can also enter your symptoms into the healthdirect Side Effect Checker. Other side effects not listed here may occur in some people. Moderna vaccine side effects Common side effects after the Moderna vaccine include: pain at the injection site tiredness headache muscle pain fever and chills joint pain Less common side effects after Moderna include: redness or swelling at the injection site swelling or tenderness in the armpit nausea/vomiting enlarged lymph nodes These symptoms may occur after either dose but are more common after the second dose. Pfizer vaccine side effects The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has provisionally approved the Pfizer vaccine. Common side effects include: pain or swelling at the injection site tiredness headache muscle pain fever and chills joint pain Less common side effects may include: redness or itching at the injection site nausea enlarged lymph nodes feeling unwell pain in limb insomnia Rare side effects that have been reported after vaccination with Pfizer’s vaccine include: severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) Other side effects not listed here may occur in some people. mRNA vaccines Overseas studies have observed a very small risk of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) and pericarditis (inflammation of the membrane around the heart) following vaccination with mRNA vaccines. Pfizer's and Moderna’s vaccines are mRNA vaccines. Seek medical attention if you experience symptoms suggestive of heart inflammation — such as chest pain, shortness of breath and palpitations. Palpitations feel like your heart is racing, thumping or skipping beats. Typically, these symptoms have occurred within 1 to 5 days of vaccination, particularly after the second dose of Pfizer. Novavax vaccine side effects Common side effects include: redness or swelling at the injection site nausea fever nausea or vomiting Less common side effects include: pain or tenderness at the injection site tiredness headache muscle or joint pain generally feeling unwell These side effects are usually mild and usually go away within one or 2 days. Rare side effects include: severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) It’s not yet known if there are any other rare side effects after Novavax vaccine. This is because only relatively small numbers of people have received this vaccine worldwide. More information will be available over time. For non-urgent symptoms, you can see your regular healthcare provider. Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) vaccine side effects The TGA has provisionally approved AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria vaccine. If you do experience any side effects, most of them are mild to moderate in nature and resolve within a few days. However, some side effects may need medical attention. Common side effects may include: tenderness, pain, swelling, redness, itching or swelling at the injection site feeling unwell tiredness chills or fever headache nausea muscle pain joint pain Less common side effects may include: enlarged lymph nodes pain in limb dizziness decreased appetite stomach pain Rare side effects that have been reported after vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine include: severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) A very rare and unusual blood-clotting condition called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia (TTS) has been reported following vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine. It is different to other blood-clotting conditions, such as deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). The symptoms of TTS typically appear between 4 and 42 days after vaccination. People with this condition are very unwell and need to go to hospital, where TTS can be treated effectively. Symptoms of TTS may include: headache that persists for more than 48 hours after vaccination, or appears later than 48 hours after vaccination, which: may be relieved by simple painkillers initially, but then persists may be worse when lying down may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting blurred vision difficulty speaking difficulty breathing drowsiness seizures or confusion chest pain swelling in your leg persistent abdominal (stomach) pain tiny blood spots under the skin, away from the site of injection The TGA is monitoring reports of suspected Guillain-Barre Syndrome following vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, no causal association with the vaccine has been established at this stage. Call triple zero (000) if you experience severe allergic reactions symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, wheezing, a fast heartbeat or collapse. If you experience any side effect and you're worried, speak to your doctor.