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CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — There is a lot of information out there about side effects to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. We wanted to clear up what is true and what’s not. OSF Pharmacy Operations Manager Brian Laird said there are some pretty common reactions you should expect. For example, your skin may get irritated in the spot where you get the shot. You also might get a fever. Studies showed some getting fevers around a 102 to 104. That’s more likely after the second shot. If you remember, the Pfizer vaccine is two shots, 21 days apart. Most of the time, reactions are pretty minor. Laird says people should feel confident about getting it. “A lot of the other medications that we use that get approved… when they have studies, they have studies of 8,000 people, 6,000 people, and they get approved for their use. This study, in Pfizer alone, had 44,000 people, so the amount of data we have on the safety aspect is more than typical for the standard medication that would be perscribed by your doctor,” explained Laird. He said the side effects typically last a couple hours to two days. This vaccine doesn’t work like the flu vaccine or other common ones. It’s not an injection of a small amount of COVID-19. Instead, it makes our cells create a tiny bit of the coronavirus spike protein. That causes your body to make antibodies against COVID-19. In other words, you can’t get COVID-19 from the vaccine. Is there anyone who should not get the vaccine? Well, there are some who were not part of the Pfizer study. For example, immuno-compromised people. However, Pfizer is planning to study them later. We also asked Laird about some recent reports of severe reactions to the vaccine. He said the following: “We are aware of the reports from the U.K. and Alaska regarding severe allergic reactions to the vaccine. OSF Heart of Mary has a plan in place to observe patients up to 30 minutes post vaccination. We do have medications in the vaccination area to immediately treat any severe allergic reactions. We would provide additional medical care if needed. As always, patients with a history of severe allergic reactions should follow the guidance of the CDC.”