As of February 7, 2022, more than 545 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States.

In the US, health providers are required to report suspected adverse reactions after a vaccination to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Members of the public are also able to report directly to VAERS.

For the vast majority of people (more than 99%), there are no serious side effects.

As of February 3, 2022, a summary of the serious health events includes:

  • Anaphylaxis (an allergic reaction) was reported in 5 people out of every million people vaccinated.
    Anaphylaxis can occur after any kind of vaccination, not just the COVID vaccine. That’s why you are asked to stay 15 minutes after being vaccinated.
    If you show any signs of anaphylaxis, the onsite medical personnel can give you medicine to counteract the allergic reaction.
  • Myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, has been confirmed in 1,295 people, mostly male, out of 543 million doses given.
  • A blood clotting condition known as TTS has occurred in 57 people out of the 18.2 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses and in 3 people out of the 522 million Moderna vaccine doses.
  • There have been 306 preliminary reports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome out of the 18.2 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Reports of death are also very rare. The FDA requires reporting of all deaths following the COVID vaccine, even if it is unclear if the death is connected to the vaccine. As of February 3, 2022, of the more than 543 million doses given, 12,122 deaths (0.0022%) were reported among people who received the vaccine. Research into all available medical information (including death certificates, medical records, and autopsies) did not establish that the COVID vaccine was the cause of death in any event.

Please note, the number of doses and the number of health events change daily. For more up-to-date data, please visit the CDC’s Adverse Events after COVID-19 Vaccination report linked below. Their report is updated regularly.

SOURCE: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html (CDC)

Updated 02/16/2022