Fly Shot Symptom
If you get the flu shot, you might have a mild fever and feel tired or achy afterward. Some people also have soreness, redness, or swelling where they got their shot. These problems aren’t serious. GBS causes damage to the nervous system, resulting in symptoms like muscle weakness, numbness, difficulty walking or an odd gait, and even paralysis, says Dr. Typically, those are just temporary and include pain, swelling, and redness around the site of the injection—much like any shot—which may appear 24 to 48 hours after the actual shot. Signs of an allergic reaction to the flu shot include difficulty breathing, hives, facial swelling, paleness, and weakness. This article was reviewed by Jason R. McKnight, MD, MS, a family medicine physician and clinical assistant professor at Texas A&M College of Medicine. This story is part of Insider's Flu Shot Guide. Side effects of the flu vaccine are generally mild and go away on their own within a few days. Common side effects from the flu shot include: Soreness, redness, and/or swelling from the shot.
- The coronavirus and the flu have so many symptoms in common, making a clinical diagnosis virtually impossible without testing.
- There is one “wacky” symptom that stands out, and COVID-19 is the likeliest diagnosis in case it appears, not the flu.
- The sudden loss of smell and taste is associated with the novel coronavirus. But even so, not all COVID-19 end up losing their sense of smell or taste.
The novel coronavirus is surging again in the US, and a second wave has hist most European countries. What’s different from the March-April wave is that the northern hemisphere is now bracing for the colder season, when the flu usually returns. Scientists have warned for months that a coronavirus-flu convergence, often called a “twindemic,” is a nightmare scenario for health officials and medical systems. Doctors worry they’ll have to deal with flu epidemics on top of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that can be challenging.
These two infectious diseases share many common symptoms that might make a clinical diagnosis impossible without testing. There’s also the possibility of some patients being infected with both pathogens at the same time. But if you’re experiencing many symptoms that are shared between the two illnesses, there is one “wacky” symptom that’s a clear indication of a COVID-19 infection.
The CDC set up a page that explains the differences between the flu and COVID-19. Both illnesses share the same common symptoms, including fever and chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle pain, body aches, headache, vomiting, and diarrhea. The key difference between the two illnesses concerns the sense of smell, the CDC points out. The sudden loss of smell and taste is associated with COVID-19, not the flu.
That’s a point The New York Times makes in a comparison between the two infectious diseases. The loss of smell (anosmia), which triggers the loss of taste (ageusia), is “the one sign that really distinguishes the two infections.”
Some people might experience the symptom because of a stuffy nose, which can happen during a cold or the flu. But that would only be temporary. There’s a high incidence of anosmia right now and various studies have associated it with COVID-19. It’s one of the symptoms included on the CDC’s list of common symptoms as well, and a key sign that will make any doctor suspect a novel coronavirus infection.
Researchers explained that the virus infects cells in the nose that register smell. The inflammation that follows then blocks scents from reaching the nerves that can register smell, so the information never reaches your brain.
You won’t register even strong odors like onions and coffee once you lose your sense of smell from COVID-19, The Times points out. Not all coronavirus patients will exhibit the symptom though, with the paper citing a study saying 13% of people don’t experience it.
A different study said recently that anosmia is actually a good thing, as it’s been linked with a milder form of COVID-19. Yahoo Life notes that 80.4% of subjects who reported the loss of smell then tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK. University College London studied a sample of 590 patients, noting that 77.7% of those who lost their taste also tested positive. Anosmia and ageusia overlap in most cases.
Experiencing flu-like symptoms, but no anosmia or ageusia would not guarantee an infection with the flu. It can still be COVID-19. As we noted before, not all coronavirus patients experience all the possible COVID-19 symptoms. Some people never have any symptoms, or they’re a lot milder.
One other symptom that might be indicative of COVID-19 rather than flu is dyspnea, or difficulty breathing. That’s what some doctors will look for when trying to tell the two conditions apart without tests. Difficulty breathing is a serious symptom that requires immediate medical attention. Keeping an eye on your breathing rate and using a pulse oximeter can help you determine whether oxygen therapy is required. Normal values are 12-16 breaths per minute and 94-100 for blood oxygen readings. The Mayo Clinic states that any blood oxygen saturation level below 90 is considered unhealthy.
There is an unexpected silver lining in all of this. Respecting COVID-19 safety measures can also reduce the flu spread, in which case you would not have to worry about telling them apart. Scientists who have studied this year’s flu pandemic in the southern hemisphere, which already had its 2020 fall and winter seasons, found virtually no flu outbreaks for the region this year. And it’s all because of the overlapping coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing, face masks, and frequent handwashing can prevent the spread of the flu as well, not just the coronavirus.
Flu season is nothing to mess around with. In a typical year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are anywhere from 9 million to 45 million cases of flu-related illnesses. While many can recover from influenza at home, between 140,000 to 810,000 people are hospitalized and 12,000 to 61,000 people die from the flu each year in the United States. If you’re thinking about getting a flu shot, you’re in good company. An influenza vaccine can make you less likely to get sick, make your illness milder if you do get sick, and prevent others around you who aren't able to get the flu shot from getting ill, thanks to herd immunity. But there are certain side effects of getting a flu shot: many people complain of feeling tired after getting a flu shot, but doctors say that isn't a cause for worry (or a reason not to get vaccinated).
Why Does The Flu Shot Make You Tired?
Dr. Gustavo Ferrer, M.D., the founder of the Cleveland Clinic Florida Cough Center, tells Bustle that the tiredness some people feel is a result of “the body’s defenses (immune system) responding to the dead virus present in the vaccine.' He further explains, “The symptoms are the result of the antibodies produced by our body in order to build up an immune response. In essence, a foreign substance (dead virus) entering our body that our defenses recognize and respond with fatigue, tiredness, low-grade fever, and lousiness.”
The fatigue won't last too long though, says Dr. Sanjeev Jain, M.D., board-certified allergist and immunologist and founder of Columbia Allergy. The sleepy sensation usually resolves itself in 24-48 hours, Dr. Jain tells Bustle.
What Other Side Effects Can The Flu Shot Cause?
'Soreness, redness, and swelling where the shot is given, fever, muscle aches, and headache can happen after receiving the influenza vaccine,' Dr. Jain says.
Side effects aren't necessarily a bad sign. Dr. Jain tells Bustle that symptoms arise because your body is letting the flu shot do its thing. 'When you get a vaccine, your immune system gets activated in order to build a protective response against the viral protein,' he says. 'As a result of this, there is a transient release of inflammatory mediators in your body that causes these symptoms.' In other words, you might get a little sore and swollen.
'Usually, the post-vaccination symptoms are relatively mild,' Dr. Jain says. 'You can take acetaminophen (AKA Tylenol) to help relieve these symptoms if they are bothersome.'
Why Side Effects Shouldn't Stop You From Getting A Flu Shot
'The benefits of getting a flu vaccine significantly outweigh the temporary adverse effects associated with it,' Dr. Jain says. The flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor visits each year, the CDC says. That can translate into a 60% decrease in flu-related trips to the doctor or ER. The CDC estimates that one in five people get the flu each year, so the odds that you or someone you’re close with will get the flu are pretty high. The risk of a flu shot causing serious harm or death is 'extremely small,” the CDC says, while the actual flu can make you or those around you dangerously sick, or potentially lead to death. Even when someone is inclined to 'ride it out' if they get sick rather than get vaccinated, Dr. Jain points out that getting the flu shot can help protect those around you, especially those who might not be able to get it themselves.
There are some ways to combat that tired feeling, according to Dr. Ferrer. First, he recommends that you take it easy after getting the vaccine. “This is the time to rest. Don’t push through. You need time to restore your energy.” He also suggests drinking plenty of fluids. Rest and hydration should kick your side effects to the curb in no time, and the flu shot will protect you and those around you all season long.
Experts:
Dr. Gustavo Ferrer, M.D., founder of the Cleveland Clinic Florida Cough Center
Flu Shot Symptoms
Dr. Sanjeev Jain, M.D., board-certified allergist and immunologist and founder of Columbia Allergy